


Sign of the Times

by Pey119



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Gods (Percy Jackson), Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Small Town, BAMF Nico di Angelo, Canonical Character Death, Cigarettes, Dead Bianca di Angelo, Drugs, Eventual Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Explicit Language, F/M, Family Issues, Hazel Levesque is a Good Sibling, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Murder, Nico Feels, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace are Cute, Nico di Angelo has Friends, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace Fluff, Oblivious Percy Jackson, One-Sided Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson, Parallels, Protective Will Solace, Sad Ending, Southern Will Solace, Tattoos, except Jason, i am so sorry for how I'm planning on ending it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:47:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24245260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pey119/pseuds/Pey119
Summary: Will is forced to move in with his uncle Poseidon and his family after he comes out to his non-accepting father. Living with his cousin Percy is one thing, but Percy's friends are a whole different story. Especially Nico di Angelo...~human au, the town of Frostford is fake and all made up, tbh I'm not even sure what state they're in...one of the states~
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Juniper/Grover Underwood, Nico di Angelo & Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace, Nico di Angelo & Leo Valdez, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Paul Blofis/Sally Jackson, Sally Jackson/Poseidon (Percy Jackson)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 159





	1. Chapter 1

The small town came into view across the lake, buildings showing through the cracks in the trees and foliage. The road they were on would take them around the lake and into the heart of the town, where Will was destined to spend the rest of his teenage years.

That didn't upset him as much as leaving his parents did. But they had a trip to go on, had things to do, and this place was one of the most beautiful he had ever seen.

His cousin Poseidon was driving, having picked him up from the airport about an hour previously. Will would be moving in with him and his family until...well, he wasn't sure for how long. Until his parents got back.

Whenever that was. They had estimated a year or two.

"How do you like the quiet?" Poseidon asked. "Coming from a big city, it's going to be a change."

Will nodded. "A good change, I think. It's beautiful here."

As they wrapped around the lake and got on the main road into town, more buildings came into view. A church, a school, little shops and a gas station. Small dirt roads broke off and winded down into the forest, one in which Poseidon soon took. That's when Will saw the first houses, most covered by trees, their driveways just tire marks in the dirt.

Poseidon pulled into one and turned the car off, waving to his son on the porch before looking to Will. "Ready?"

The trees were like a blanket, everything felt at peace. Will didn't know why he hadn't moved there sooner.

"Ready."

They got out of the car and grabbed his bags from the trunk, the teenage boy from the porch running to help. Percy Jackson, Poseidon's son. Will had met him a few times in the past but never for long. Black hair swept from the wind, green eyes, tan skin despite the overcast of trees. He wore jeans and an orange T-shirt with a blue jacket. 

"Will, long time no see," Percy greeted as he grabbed a suitcase. "Your room's right next to mine, and you'll have the same schedule as me at school."

"How'd you manage that?" Will asked, letting them lead him up the crumbling stairs and into the well-used house. Home. It smelled and looked like home and family and love.

"Dad knows the principle."

Percy led him up a small staircase that seemed squished against the back wall as if it was forgotten in the original plans and forced to fit. The wood creaked but didn't break like Will expected it to do as they walked up.

"Plus," Percy puffed as they got the bags to the top, "we never get new kids. Ever."

They seemed to have lost Poseidon somewhere in the move. The house was dark from lack of sunshine but the upstairs hallway was the worst. Percy threw open the door to what Will saw as the bathroom and flipped the light on, it softly illuminating their feet and the wood below them.

The darkness wasn't scary but made him sleepy. He could hear crickets and locusts.

"There's your room," Percy pointed to the last door in the hallway. "A little small, it was the little ones' playroom."

"Small is fine," Will assured. When they got back there, however, Will saw how small it really was. Tiny, more like it. Barely bigger than a closet or bathroom.

But that somehow made it more comfortable, tucked into the house, dark and warm, just his. His burrow.

He didn't realize he voiced this until Percy let out a loud laugh.

"The Burrow, that's what we're calling it from now on," Percy decided. He set Will's belongings on the floor and stretched. "You saw where the bathroom is, dinner will be in a little bit. I'll be in my room if you need me, but I'll leave you to get your things situated."

Will closed the door once he was gone and looked around his wooden burrow. One window above an air mattress, a thin crevice on the far side. Will decided to pull the mattress over to the crevice so it was surrounded by wall on three sides, having to squeeze it but getting it to fit. That left more room for his things, not to mention making it even more comfortable. He put his sheets, blankets, and pillows on, set his bed up before moving to his bags. He folded his clothes and stacked them against the wall, not having brought much because of the bag limit on the plane. Then there were toiletries, which he left in the bag, his phone and laptop going on his bed, some soccer posters that he put aside to hang up later. 

When he was finished, Will laid back on his bed and curled up, smiled despite the major life move, closed his eyes, and dozed off into a peaceful sleep.

It was like taking a nap after spending the day in the hot sun, nothing but your sunburn to keep you warm, a soft breeze playing with the tips of your hair.

His blue eyes fluttered open to meet Percy's, that green so like the ocean he used to swim in. He wondered how long it'd take before he started to miss it.

Percy grinned down at him. "Dinner's done."

Will sat up and stretched. The crickets were definitely going at it now. The sky visible was a red blossom.

"I'm surprised this town's so small." Will followed Percy down the hallway and staircase. The bathroom light still illuminated their steps. "It's beautiful, you'd imagine people would flock to it."

Percy laughed, and it was one of those laughs that you couldn't help but join in. "Nobody comes here except if it's a case like yours. Small town, no opportunities, that sort of drift."

The dining room was connected to the kitchen by a half wall made of the same wood as the flooring. Will sat beside Percy at the table, recognizing Percy's parents along with his two little siblings, Estelle and Tyson.

They were twins, around five or six years old. Tyson was blind in one eye and was currently missing his front teeth, while Estelle had frizzy hair impossible to tame and a set of glasses always on her small face.

"It's good to see you, Will." Sally gave him a half-hug before continuing to make plates. Mashed potatoes, chicken, some other vegetables. The smell made his mouth water. "How are you liking Frostford?"

Will looked around the room. "I love it. It feels like home, even if I've never been here before."

"Wasn't he born here, mom?" Percy asked, already halfway done with his plate when Will hadn't even started. Tyson and Estelle were having a carrot war.

Sally nodded. "He's right, Will, you were. Then your parents found a way out, took you with them. You were only a couple weeks old."

Will accepted the new piece of information easily. "Their way out, it was dad's music?"

Poseidon pointed his fork at him. "Went on about it for weeks, he did, explaining the same story time and time again. Even your mom got fed up with it."

Will smiled at the distant thought of his parents. "Sounds like them." There was yelling outside, not too far away, and that also sounded like them. Especially after Will came out on a Sunday afternoon, the church bells still ringing, the sun too bright. His father had never treated him the same.

(Will tossed around the idea that his father's homophobic rationality was one of the reasons he was here and not with them. But this place already felt more like home than his house ever had)

Dinner was full of welcomed conversation, love, banter and innocent teasings. Will had a summer heart and this room was the sun.

"What are you planning on doing after high school?" Sally asked as he helped her clean up. Percy had left with some friends and Poseidon was getting the kids into bed.

"I'm deciding between a child therapist and a doctor. Both are saving people in their own way." Will brought the dishes to the sink and started to wash them. There was a window right above the sink, cracked open and letting in a cool breeze. The backyard was visible, some grass and toys before it merged into the never-ending forest. "But either way, definitely going to college. So I'll have to move out of here."

Sally began to dry the dishes he handed her. There was no dishwasher, no space for it. Water started to soak the cupboard. "Will...never let that decision leave your mind. Go to college, get out of this town. Percy...he's stuck here just like all those friends of his. They don't focus on school, don't try to get scholarships. He used to want to be a marine biologist. Now he'll probably end up working in town, and it's safe, but he could have been so much more. I don't want you to lose your opportunity, either."

The plates he washed looked as old as the house. He wondered how many generations they had been passed down. In his city, they'd be labeled fine china and put on display. "Staying in this town doesn't seem so bad to me. It's beautiful, it's home. Or, at least it is to all of you. It's peaceful. Living here with a family sounds pretty good, I have to admit."

"It's not the same when you grow up here," Sally stressed. "But thank you for trying to cheer me up." She put the dried dishes away before hanging her wet towel. "Maybe it'll be good for him, and I won't complain if it is. But you don't find that mindset on many people here."

The setting sun covered the counter in a red blanket. Orange mixed in here and there. "Is it cool if I go to bed, get mentally prepared for school tomorrow?"

Sally glanced at the clock before starting a pot of coffee. "Go ahead, Will. I know it must have been a long day. Let me know if you need something, I'll be up."

Waiting for Percy, he decided. She stayed up waiting for Percy to get back. Bags were under her eyes and he was sure that wasn't her first cup of coffee.

"Oh, and one more thing, if that's okay."

She smiled and gestured for him to continue.

"I usually get up early and take a jog. That's cool, right?"

Sally laughed. "Oh god, yes. If only Percy was doing things like that. But the only exercise he gets is swimming in that lake."

"It's fit for swimming?" Will asked.

She shook her head. "It's not even fit to be our water supply. But Percy likes to break any rules we set up for him."

He saw the stress in her eyes, the lie of her easy expression. He chose to ignore it.

Will bid her goodnight and went up to bed. The bathroom light lit the way.

* * *

It wasn't just his routine that got him up the next morning, it was the excitement at seeing the town he was falling in love with. His birthplace, his new home. He threw on clothes before the sun had a chance to rise and crept out of the creaking house.

They didn't have to lock the door here, he observed. And from the looks of it, he was pretty sure the lock didn't even work. Broken and worn like the rest of the house.

Will threw his headphones in and put his phone in his pocket, the flashlight lighting the way. After a quick decision, he headed further down the path away from town.

Dirt soon covered his shoes and rocks found their way inside. The houses he passed were silent, sleeping ancient beings. They only grew older and larger as the path continued on.

At the fork in the road, he took the left path, not thinking much but having years of muscle memory. An old friend of his always said to keep left in mazes, and it soon became their thing. Then that friend moved to California, keeping his movement left, never looking back.

Will never went searching for him. Maybe they weren't really friends, after all, just there to hang out when bored, to fill the empty space. 

Houses turned to just forest. Only away from civilization did he start to hear voices.

He came to a clearing with overturned logs arranged in a circle and the remains of a fire pit, which wasn't really smart with everything around them. But the fire was out and nothing more than debris, and not even the grass around it seemed singed.

A teenage boy was sitting on one of the logs, brown hair flying everywhere and eyes that flashed as that fire once had. He was packing a bag with what looked like scraps of metal, a toothpick between his teeth. Dirt covered his cheeks and hands. "I'm just going to run these back to the bunker. Then we'll head out. But I need to get it all inside before it gets rained on. That's the whole reason we came out here."

The one he was talking to was shorter but around the same age, with black hair and eyes, pale skin covered in bruises, a cigarette in his mouth. He sat perched on a motorcycle, one foot on the ground, wearing an aviator jacket, black skinny jeans, and combat boots. "Dude, school starts in like two hours. I want food."

"And I'll buy you a burger, chill. Just one last trip to the bunker." Fire-Eyes looked passed Motorcycle Boy and caught sight of Will. Will was about to bolt, but that face only broke out in a grin. "You can wait here with shorter Jason."

"Shorter Jason?" Motorcycle Boy turned in confusion before catching sight of Will, his eyes narrowing. "Who the fuck are you?"

Will turned his music off and stuffed his earbuds in his pockets. "Um...sorry, I was just taking a jog. My name's Will Solace, I just moved in with my cousin."

"And your cousin is...?"

"Percy Jackson."

Fire-Eyes burst out laughing. He bent over and clenched his stomach, laughing so hard Will was sure he'd give himself a hernia. Motorcycle Boy, on the other hand, kept his face neutral but a vein seemed to pulsate in his temple.

"You're Percy Jackson's cousin?" he asked. "You're serious?"

Will nodded. "I, uh, will be living with him for a few years, until I go off to college."

That made Fire-Eyes laugh even harder.

"Leo, take your things to the damn bunker before I leave you!" Motorcycle Boy ordered, no doubt sick of the reaction, though Will still couldn't pinpoint why Percy's name had made him laugh so hard. But at least he got one of their names out of it.

"Will, you made my day," Leo declared, shouldering the bag. He grabbed a lit flashlight off the ground and pointed it at Will. "We're totally hanging out at school."

"No, we're not," Motorcycle Boy declined.

Leo huffed. "Hell yeah, we are. Will, I'll be right back. Don't let Nico get you down when I'm gone."

Then he was jumping through the foliage, disappearing from sight, even his flashlight beam becoming a memory. 

Nico's eyes were black orchids, his upturned nose and sharp cheekbones a work of art. Will felt his heart quicken.

"Do you usually strike up conversations with those you meet in the woods?"

Will flushed. "Not usually."

Nico raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, instead grabbing his own bookbag and throwing it on. The key chain hanging from the bike was black with yellow smiley faces. His hair was a mess, parted but unbrushed, a silver hairpin stuck in there, looking like a wedding accessory for a woman more than anything else. A few braids were done in the back.

Strange, Will mused. But beautiful. Something about him just got to Will, just like the town had.

If someone asked about Frostford, Will would tell them to just take a look at Nico. The two became one in his mind.

"Told you it wouldn't take long!" Leo gasped as he ran back into the clearing. He jumped on the back of Nico's motorcycle, pulling a phone from his pocket and texting away.

As soon as Leo was on Nico gave Will a two-finger salute before driving off, leaving only a trail of upturned pebbles behind. The sound of the motorcycle rang in his ears before the silence of the forest took over.

The sun was starting to blossom. Will put his earbuds in and started the run home.

* * *

Will was out of the shower and in the middle of breakfast when Percy finally came downstairs, his hair a mess, dark circles under his eyes and a yawn escaping his lips. His blue hoodie showed that he was part of the swim team. His sneakers looked too big.

"Who were you out with?" Poseidon asked as Percy sat at the table, not angry but just curious. The lax parenting style was new to Will, no doubt, but it was refreshing. His own parents had never used to let him out of their sight.

"Annabeth, Pipes, Jason, the others," Percy shrugged. "I actually came back early compared to Nico and Leo. They were planning on staying out all night."

"I think I just met them," Will said. "I, uh, was jogging through the woods. Met them."

Percy gave Poseidon a look. "Told you."

Poseidon sighed into his coffee. "Those boys never sleep, do they?"

"They're going to crash one of these days," Sally commented as she set a mug of coffee in front of Percy. "They're just too young to realize it."

The sun was up. Tyson and Estelle were having a contest on who could chug their orange juice faster. The wood beneath them kept creaking.

"You ready, Will?" Percy asked, getting up from the table and grabbing his book bag. "Jason's going to be picking us up."

Will stuffed the remains of his food in his mouth before nodding, getting his things together. Sally was opening one of the windows, letting the fresh air and sunshine in, and Poseidon was finishing his cup of coffee. 

A honk out front, Percy gesturing for him to follow. An old pickup truck was waiting, and instead of getting in, Percy hopped into the cargo bed where a couple other teenagers sat. Will hesitantly followed, hearing his mother's warnings in his ears but feeling the life around him.

"This is Will Solace," Percy introduced as the truck started down the path. "He's the cousin that moved in with me. Will, this is my girlfriend Annabeth Chase and one of my best friends, Grover Underwood. Jason Grace is driving with his girlfriend, Piper McLean."

Annabeth Chase had blonde hair and gray eyes, and a mountain of homework on her lap. Her eyes analyzed him immediately. Her coffee never left her hand.

Grover Underwood shook his hand immediately and seemed pretty cool upfront. Curly hair, a goatee, a couple of granola bars in hand, and more snacks spilling from his bag. His green eyes were the exact color of the foliage around them.

"It's nice to meet you," Will greeted. The wind blowing through his hair was heavenly. Every bump in the road reminded him he was alive.

Grover held out a granola bar. "Want one? You ever get hungry at school, I'll hit you up. Just five bucks-"

"Grover," Annabeth cut in. "You're not selling him or anyone else any food. Don't become the Stolls."

Grover rolled his eyes. "Way to kill the fun, Annabeth. I was joking."

Annabeth gave him a look that said he was definitely not joking, but let the topic slide as she turned to Will. "Where are you from?"

"Austin, Texas," he answered. "I was born here, though."

"Your parents got out?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"It's my goal," Annabeth conversed. "Get into a college, get the hell out of this place while I have the chance. Everyone says I'm insane for trying."

"No one gets out of here alive," Grover repeated. "That's what Nico says, at least."

"And when have you been one to listen to Nico di Angelo?"

Grover shrugged. "He's got some good points."

Annabeth sighed into her hands. "Grover Underwood, you are so close to getting thrown off this truck."

Percy was just smiling this stupid smile that showed how content he was. This was his safety blanket, Will realized. Surrounded by friends. This is where he felt like he belonged.  
And it wasn't such a bad place to exist, Will could agree.

* * *

Preschool through junior high was held in a building in town, Will soon learned. But the high school was a little further out, a little older and a little bigger. The trees being paved away for a parking lot and football field ruined the whole image of town. The kids littered around didn't look much better.

As soon as they were parked Jason hopped out of the truck and threw himself onto the cargo bed. Blond hair cut short, a small scar on his upper lip, blue eyes. "So, this is Will Solace?"

Percy nodded, making no move to get up, but Annabeth was busy getting her things together. "Will, Jason. Jason, Will."

Will shook Jason's hand and then Piper's. She was beautiful in her own way, definitely of some Native American descent, and he wasn't quite sure what color her eyes were. They almost seemed to change with the lighting around her.

"Don't let these idiots keep you from your studies," Annabeth warned. "They barely pass, too busy doing whatever to actually pay attention in class."

Percy huffed. "It might be true but you didn't have to say it."

"Do you have your schedule, Will?" Jason asked as Annabeth climbed off the truck. "I can show you around if you want."

"Oh, it's okay, I have the same as Percy does," Will declined. "But thanks."

Jason nodded. "Please do your work. Don't let them bring you down with them."

Percy nor Grover seemed hurt by this, instead acting as if they heard it often.

"I'll try my best," Will assured him. "I do want to go to college one day."

A motorcycle pulled up next to them, the familiar forms of Nico and Leo greeting them. No helmets. Nico held a burger in one hand and a cigarette in his mouth. Leo was drinking an extra-large coffee.

"An all-nighter?" Percy greeted. "Really?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Valdez wanted to stay and work on his stupid machines."

"They're not stupid!" Leo argued. "Festus is twice the man you'll ever be."

"He's a metal dragon replica," Nico hissed.

"Yeah, I know. I made him."

"Guys, you're going to scare Will off," Jason scolded. "Nico, come on. We have first period."

Nico scowled. "What if I don't want to go-"

Jason grabbed him and dragged him into the building, barely giving him time to turn the bike off and prop it up on the kickstand. Nico turned into a blur of black hair and curses.

"That's Nico di Angelo," Percy said as he watched him go. "The boy you apparently met in the woods early this morning. Then-" He gestured to Leo. "Leo Valdez."

"We already decided to be friends," Leo insisted. "Percy's cousin, wants to go to college. That's great friend material."

"Uh...thanks?" Will tried.

"Don't thank him, he's being stupid," Percy said. "Come on, we'll go to class so you can talk to the teacher."

Will followed him off the truck and stretched. Grover didn't make a move to get up, and Leo was busy doing god knows what with a lighter. But with only a wave to them and nothing more, Percy started to lead him into the building.

As he started his first day at Frostford's high school, all he could think about was Nico di Angelo and the color of his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

The building had to be at least a hundred years old, built from the same wood as the town itself. The windows didn't do anything to keep the heat out. Everyone Will came into contact with looked ready to melt into the floorboards. 

Percy interacted with everyone they passed. A wave, nod, handshake, maybe a word of greeting or two. A girl named Clarisse slapped him upside the head. Twins named Travis and Conner tried stealing his wallet. Percy took all of this in good fun. Will wondered how he had so little respect for peace. 

He was always doing something one way or another, always staying social even if it involved being made fun of. Will wanted to step in whenever the "jokes" got too serious. He never did. Percy never stopped smiling.

Fake. That smile had to be fake. Right?

First period was English 3. Percy sat in the back of the room, leaving Will no choice but to also sit in the last row of seats. Drawings covered the ancient desks. Percy took a pen out and started to play with it. The blue ballpoint matched everything of Percy's, even his energy. Blue.

The teacher walked in just as the bell rang. He was a man in his thirties, with salt and pepper hair and kind eyes. His clothes were appropriate for his teaching position. Most of the kids seemed to respect him.

His eyes landed on Will. "You must be Will Solace," he smiled. "I'm Paul Blofis. Would you like to step into the hall for a quick talk?"

All eyes landed on Will. He felt like an intruder for the first time.

"Sure," he squeaked. 

Chuckles erupted around him as he followed Mr. Blofis out into the hallway. Once the door was closed behind them, the conversations broke out behind the door but were unable to be understood.

"I wanted to properly introduce myself and welcome you to Frostford," Mr. Blofis said. "I know it can be scary being the new kid, and the teens around here don't take to new things, including people. So if you need anything, just let me know."

He took a paper from his pocket and handed it to Will. "Here are the phone numbers and addresses of all of your teachers. All the work you've missed won't count against you, but we'll start grading you on everything here on out. Are you trying to get to college?"

Will took the paper and pocketed it. "Yeah."

A flicker of something in those eyes. "I'm so glad to hear it. I've been trying to get Percy to...he has so much potential...all those wayward friends of his do. They just...they hurt, they have problems, they don't see life in the long run. Please don't let them get to you.”

That same warning. What did all these adults expect them to do to him?

“I won't,” Will assured, because this man seemed to just want the best for them. “I'm going to college.”

It was just college. Why did everyone want him to go as if it would save his life? Run to its outstretched arms, they seemed to scream. There's nowhere else to go.

The promise made Paul's whole day just as it had Sally's. Their interest and involvement was enough for him. Why wasn't it for Percy?

His notebook was red and so was the textbook. Percy was beside him like usual, lunch was next period, and Mrs. Dodds was too deaf to hear any of their conversations. She had to be in her nineties, still up and teaching through some miracle. Her white hair reflected the artificial lights.

It was ten minutes into the Algebra 2 class when Nico decided to show his face. Everything in Will jolted and his whole system kickstarted. The boring math class he expected was suddenly no more.

Nico slipped in through the cracked door and made his way to the back of the room without a word to Mrs. Dodds. His boots made a cowboy-y sound against the floorboards. That hair, the braids, the hairpin; his eyes, black as a summer night, dead, cold as winter; his aura, the energy he radiated, everything about him that melted him and Frostford together in Will's mind.

“You were late to Will's first math class!” Percy whined as Nico sat beside them. There it was again, his constant speaking despite the topic, the constant company he demanded.

“I'm sure he'll get over it,” Nico smiled. “Then again, he is your cousin.”

Percy jabbed his pen in Nico's direction. “Rude. You know you love me.”

Something in Nico's eyes pulsed in pain. Will saw it through the fractured glass of his composure. What was he hiding?

Percy didn't notice. Maybe if he had noticed…

“What are the plans?” Percy continued on. “Bunker?”

Nico nodded before turning to Will. “Are you coming?”

Butterflies. Their red wings fluttered in his throat and stomach. He nodded without knowing what the bunker was, without a second thought, even with piles of homework in his bag. Only when he noticed this did he realize how dangerous Nico di Angelo was. 

They had warned him but had been too late. Something about Nico made him believe in love at first sight.

His apple was as red as the lunch table. He could only wonder where Sally had gotten it so fresh. Its color was its own sign of life.

Talk. Constant chatter. Percy never stopped. What made him hate silence?

“It's so hot,” Piper groaned. “Can't we go to the lake instead?”

Percy's hand shot up. “I vote lake!”

“But Will hasn't seen the bunker,” Leo whined. He looked different than he had earlier in the woods. Maybe it was because the tips of his hair were now singed. “I have to introduce him to Festus.”

Annabeth fanned herself with one of her papers. Her blonde hair danced. “It _is_ really hot, Leo. We can't stay long if we go to the bunker.”

“We don't have to!” he insisted. “But can we? Please? Nico, vote for the bunker and I'll fix your bike's headlight.”

Nico didn't look up from his phone. “I vote bunker.”

Will was directly across from Nico at the table, thus able to notice every little thing about him. His stomach was a pool of red hot fire.

He hadn't had a crush like this before, so strong it was impossible to ignore, so strong it had to be more. Soulmates? There were scientific theories on them, and he believed in science. It could explain his infatuation with Nico.

Or he was just a love sick fool.

Whatever the case, it was there, it was strong, and Nico di Angelo owned him.

“I agree with Nico,” Will spoke up. “I want to see what the bunker is.”

Leo pointed a screwdriver in Will's direction. Why he had it at school, Will would never know. “New kid has spoken. Bunker it is.”

“You need to install air conditioning,” Piper insisted. “We would be voting with you if you did.”

“My bike comes before air conditioning,” Nico piped up. His eyes still didn't leave his phone. His fingers were typing away. 

Will wondered who was on the other end of those text messages, who had stolen Nico's attention, who was worth that much to him.

“Now that that's settled…” Leo leaned forward and wiggled his eyebrows at Percy. “I heard Mr. Blofis went to your house Friday.”

Piper gasped. “Again?”

Will looked between them all. “What am I missing?”

Percy glared at Leo over his slice of cold pizza. “Will doesn't know any of this.”

“Can I tell him?”

Annabeth hit Leo with her book. “He's Percy's cousin. Let him explain.”

Percy looked at Will. “Um...you know family can be messed up, right? I mean, your dad kicked you out for being gay, of course you do. But this is a different kind of messed up, like relationships and marriage.”

Rambling. That rambling made Nico's head snap up from his phone. Those dark eyes stared at Will with a silent question.

_He just outed you...are you okay?_

Will gave him a nod and smile. Nico di Angelo had been ready to protect him.

“Mom and dad's relationship was never perfect,” Percy continued, oblivious to their interaction. “After I was born, they broke it off for a little bit. There was too much drama, with your dad getting out and my...unplanned existence. When they finally got back together, things had changed. They married but decided to stay in an open relationship. Mostly because dad had gotten an old friend pregnant and mom had an ex husband… Long story. But they're in an open relationship. They haven't been with anyone else really, though. Dad and that girl broke it off when she lost the baby. And he hasn't been with anyone since. But mom met Paul...”

Will stared at him. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“It's not something that's public.”

“Right.”

“Did that scare you away?” Percy asked.

“Not as much as the fact I saw you put sour cream on your pizza,” Will smiled. Laugh. Lighten the air. Percy shouldn't have any negative interactions because of the actions of his parents.

“Cold pizza,” Percy argued, as if that explained it all. But his carefree smile was back and that was all that mattered. 

Nico was staring at that smile with the cracked veil over his eyes. Will wondered how long before the cracks grew and the veil collapsed.

Last period was Spanish 3. Percy was playing with his pen like usual and talking his ear off about the latest Xbox game. Nico and Jason were sitting in the desks in front of them, Jason turned around to face them and Nico sitting sideways, his feet in Jason's lap. The teacher was sitting on his laptop with a bullshit video playing on the projector.

"Do you guys know any Spanish?" Will asked, generally curious. "Because it doesn't seem like it took a lot to get to this class."

"Me gusta pan!" Percy shouted. One kid threw an eraser at him. "Uh...me gusta pizza. Me gusta-"

"He's limited," Nico supplied. "Jason's pretty good but he actually studies. I know Italian."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you in a Spanish class?"

"They don't offer Italian."

Percy threw the eraser he had recently gained at Nico's face. "Neeks is bilingual."

"Call me Neeks again and I'll shove that eraser up your ass."

Will's eyes never left Nico when that boy was in the room. Maybe his obsession was stupid, was out of nowhere, but it was too strong to ignore.  
When Nico was on his mind, he overwrote everything else.

"Bilingual?" Will asked. More. He wanted to know everything he could about this boy. Why he was bilingual, why his hair had braids in the back, where that hairpin was from. What had made his eyes so broken. Why he lifted that veil over himself to begin with.

Nico nodded but looked guarded. Rocky territory. "My mom was born in Venice. She was a diplomat or something."

"Nico doesn't know a lot about politics," Jason cut in. "But if you do, would you think about joining me and Reyna on the student council?"

Horrible change of subject. Nico rolled his eyes and brought out a box of cigarettes. He played with them, put his interest in them.

Another security blanket. The talk about his mother must have cut deep.

"No, thanks," Will declined. "I have too much work added on to going to see whatever the bunker is."

Jason's face fell. "They already roped you in to their activities?"

Will scratched the back of his neck. "Um…"

"We're not going to be there long," Nico assured. "It's too hot. We'll end up at the lake"

"That's not any better!" Jason argued. "The lake's dangerous. There's a reason there's 'no swimming' signs."

"That's just for liability."

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. A vein pulsed in his forehead at what seemed to be a common argument.

"You guys are going to kill yourselves," he warned. "And now you're taking Will down with you."

Nico smirked. His lips were red and so kissable. "Better to die young than get old in this hellhole."

The sentence hurt something deep in Will, and it seemed to do the same to Jason. But Nico was smiling and that was everything.

Percy started rambling as soon as their conversation died. Something about Finding Nemo and the sharks portrayed in it. Nico went back to fiddling with his cigarettes while Jason actually pulled a textbook out and began to study. How he was friends with Nico and Percy, Will would never be sure. He was part of student council, he cared about his grades, hell, he cared enough about their safety to lecture them. And he still stayed with them when they went against everything he said.

Their relationships had to run deep. There was no other explanation.

So what was Will to them? He had known them for less than a day. Nothing about their relationships ran deep. When were they going to stop being so welcoming to him?

But the look Nico had given him at lunch, the anger in his eyes at Percy's carelessness, the protection. Something about the outting got to Nico.

Was he also…? Oh god, Will could only hope. To be with that boy would be the icing on the cake of his move to Frostford. 

But Nico hadn't said it yet. Nico looked at him but not with love. Nico hadn't ever mentioned his sexuality or relationships.

Will noted to ask Percy whenever they got home.

* * *

The school day ended with the last bell. Will grabbed his bag and followed his new friends out of the building, keeping close to Nico like a lost puppy. If the other boy noticed, he didn't say anything. He kept on like normal, his key chain dangling from his hands, a cigarette in his mouth as soon as they stepped outside. He grabbed Leo's lighter from his pocket and lit it.

They grouped up around Jason's pickup and Nico's motorcycle. Percy had his arm around Annabeth's waist and was whispering something in her ear, her cheeks blossoming red. Her watch was the same color of love.

Nico perched on his motorcycle as Will had seen him do earlier in the woods. Gray smoke blew from those red lips. The sun made his eyes look more gray than black.

Gray. Nico was gray as Percy was blue.

"Meeting at the bunker?" Nico asked. The red paint on his motorcycle was gleaming in the sun, almost blinding Will. But he didn't look away from the boy.

"I guess," Percy pouted. "But I wanted the lake."

"We'll go to the lake after," Annabeth insisted. "It's hot as hell in that bunker. We'll need to."

Nico sighed and turned his key, the engine roaring to life. "I'll meet you there. Valdez, there better be food."

Then he was driving off, leaving them to melt into the asphalt.

"Leo, don't you usually ride with him?" Will asked. Those two...they were so close but complete opposites. Half of Will could imagine them dating.

"Only two people can fit on that thing," Leo said as he climbed onto Jason's truck. "He's gotta get his little sister home." He sat in the cargo bed and took some scraps of metal out of his pockets, along with the screwdriver from earlier.

"He's got a sister?" Will asked, blinking at Leo as he did god knows what with that metal. All Will knew was that it looked pretty dangerous.

Percy nodded. "Little sister. Hazel. He's really protective, so be warned. Like more than he should be."

"Well you know why," Annabeth defended. "Wouldn't you be in his situation?"

Before Will could divulge any further into Nico's home life, Piper came running from the building with Jason's keys in hand.

"We're good to go!" she shouted as she met up with them. "Jason's catching a ride home with Reyna after their meeting. So we can take the truck to the bunker."

She seemed to have been what they were standing around waiting for, because everyone got into the truck right away. Piper driving with Annabeth beside her, everyone else in the cargo bed. Leo's invention started to smell like smoke.

"What is the bunker?" Will asked as the truck pulled away from the school. Sweat was running down his back from the red hot sun. "I'm honestly curious by this point."

"She is my pride and joy!" Leo yelped. "Don't ever talk bad about her!"

"I wasn't-"

"Dude, she's awesome," Leo continued. "We're the only ones that really know about her. I found her, brought her back to good health. She's from some war, maybe the civil? I'm not good with history, only machines."

Will's eye twitched. "You guys hang out in an actual bunker?"

"Yeah, what else did you think?"

Jason was right. These kids were going to get themselves killed.

The drove deep into the woods, passed the houses until the trail ended. There Piper parked the trunk, her and Annabeth jumping out to meet the rest of them.

"We have to walk from here," Percy explained as they got off the truck. "No more paths."

"And you know where you're going?" Will asked. "How?"

"Markers!" Leo cut in. "I made markers all over this place. There was no way I was losing my baby."

Annabeth turned a flashlight on and handed it to Will before grabbing another for herself. "Come on, let's get going. I have work to do."

Leo didn't need to be told twice. He jumped through the foliage with ease, quick and nimble. His lighter lit his way.

The others stuck together, the two flashlights their own source of light. Will felt bugs biting at his skin and too many unknown plants rubbing against him. He loved looking at nature, sure, but he hated everything about climbing through it.

Then he saw where they had brought him. Built into one of the many hills in the forest, a concrete door was closed and padlocked. Pure, thick concrete. A real fucking bunker.

"You really hang out in an old war bunker…" he whispered.

Leo hopped along to the door and took the padlock off. It had to weigh a good twenty pounds, red with rust and age. Leo threw it to the side before nodding at Percy, and together, they pulled the door open.

"Watch your step," Annabeth warned. "Have you had your tetanus shot?"

Will nodded. "Probably."

Leo was the first down the now-exposed staircase, his lighter in hand. Then it was Piper, then Percy, Grover and Annabeth, and finally, Will.

"Does this place have-..." The question died on his lips when the lights turned on. Leo had gotten to the bottom and was now standing next to a large panel of switches, his grin and pride never leaving his face.

And holy shit, the bunker really was something.  
They stood in a hallway at the bottom of the staircase, it leading off to the left and right, and in front of them sat an old door with the circular handle you saw on boats. Leo and Percy had to work together again to spin it, and once they had the door open, Will lost his breath again.

The room was huge. No windows but rows of artificial lights above them. On the far wall, faded writing read 'Bunker 9'. Below it was a symbol he didn't recognize.

On the far end of the room was what Will could only assume was Festus, the dragon replica Nico had mentioned earlier. Its metal head and wings brushed against the ceiling. It was rust red like the rest of the ancient building.

"Holy shit…" Will breathed. "You actually made a dragon…"

Leo spread his arms. His eyes screamed pride. His smile was wider than Will had ever seen it.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" he asked. But he was actually asking, looking for reassurance. He had actually been dying to show him.

"It's awesome," Will promised. "Leo...this is amazing."

Leo beamed even more. His eyes were lit with flames.

"You really think so?" he asked. "You really do?"

Will nodded. "I don't see how anyone couldn't."

"Can we eat now?" Percy broke in. "I'm starving!"

Leo jumped out of the conversation as if it had really stuck him in place. "Chef Leo's ready and hungry-edy."

He scampered over to the middle of the room, where old couches had been brought and put together. There were also boxes and other things being used as chairs, like a broken fridge laying on its side and the seat of an old car.  
There was a working fridge but it seemed as old as everything else. Leo grabbed some things from it and went over to an old stove, starting to cook.

"This...is your hangout?" Will asked. "How...the fridge and stove...and the couches…?"

"Junk yard." Annabeth sat on a couch and started getting homework out. Sweat stuck her hair to her forehead. "But it's too hot to stay in here long."

Percy flopped down on the other couch with a groan. "I want to go to the lake!"

"After food," Piper agreed. "After the food, we'll swim."

"I thought I smelled something," Nico commented as he walked in. One of his braids had been redone. "Valdez, what're you making?"

"Spaghetti to forgetti our regretti!" Leo replied. Nico facepalmed. Percy laughed.

They were just friends hanging out, in that moment. Friends joking together and hanging out. As the laughs continued, Will caught Nico's eye and Nico caught his. They were just friends hanging out. No problems.

But only in the alternative reality the bunker created. Only there.

Because they all had problems nobody liked to speak about. If only they spoke about them…

Silence was dangerous. If only he had hated it as Percy had.

They ate from questionable dishes and spoke about nothing. Percy was on about Finding Nemo again. Annabeth was doing her homework. Leo was tinkering with Festus and Nico was smoking. But the heat only got worse.

"Can we swim now?" Piper pleaded, her body melting into the couch. "It's too hot… We came to show Will Festus and we did."

Percy jumped up, tomato sauce covering his shirt. "Lake time. It's decided."

Annabeth sighed in relief and began to pack her things away. "Finally."

Nico followed suit and stood up and stretched. He looked at Will, his veiled eyes having melted a little in the heat. "Want to ride with me?"

Will couldn't hide his smile. His skin was red from heat and blush. "Definitely."

Their eyes remained locked. Neither of them noticed Leo and Annabeth share a knowing look.

His first time riding on a motorcycle was thrilling, to say the least. The red butterflies were dancing in his chest. The air hitting his face was relaxing as fuck.

"First time?!" Nico yelled over the wind. His hip bones felt too jagged under Will's arms.

"Yeah!" Will never loosened his grip on Nico. Not in fear of falling but in fear of losing the dark haired boy. Fear of his life changing from this moment.

Dirt was spitting up around them as the tires made their own way through the forest. They had lost the pickup long ago, Nico not sticking to roads and paths the truck could go down. Instead they raced through the uneven forest, over ant hills and through bushes. Will vaguely wondered how the bike was still in good shape but didn't dwell on it long. Not when all he could smell and feel was Nico di Angelo.

Nico finally pulled over and parked at a more secluded spot on the lake's edge. He turned the bike off and looked back at Will, his smile still wide from that feeling of life, from the adrenaline.

"It makes you feel alive, doesn't it?" he asked. "Isn't that feeling of life so much better than what life actually is?"

Will could only nod as he caught his breath. Adrenaline. That's what made Nico smile.

Nico got up from the bike and took his book bag off, throwing it to the side. He sat on it and started to remove his boots.

"Why'd you ask me to ride with you?" Will asked. "Why not Leo?"

Nico threw his boot at him. "You're as oblivious as Percy."

Will frowned. "I just don't like to assume things, I guess."

"Don't assume," Nico said. "Just ask. Figure out the right answers. Because my life's going to be too short for assuming and shit."

Will sat beside him on the ground and began to take off his own shoes. "Your life isn't going to be short. You're healthy."

Nico didn't answer. Maybe Will should have questioned that.

"Are you and Leo...together?" Will asked. "You just...seem close, like you know everything about each other."

Nico shook his head. "He's got a girlfriend. Straight as fuck."

Will looked over at him. "Really?"

"Really," Nico said. "We're just good friends. He knows a lot of shit about me. And I know a lot of shit about him. But we don't talk about it. But we know. You know?"

Will nodded. "I guess."

Nico took his socks off and stuffed them in his boots. Then he grabbed his phone and hairpin and also put it in his boots. "We'll have to swim over to where the others are."

"Why didn't we just start where they are?" Will asked, repeating the same actions Nico did. Shoes, socks, phone and keys.

Nico shook his head and muttered "oblivious" as he stood up. He didn't make a move to remove his shirt. "Come on, it's fucking hot."

Will stood up beside him and removed his own shirt, then pants. When he looked back up, Nico was staring at him.

Shit.

"Was I...not supposed to do that?" Will asked. "Are you uncomfortable with me swimming in boxers?"

Nico's face was red. "No, it's fine." He cleared his throat. "It's good. Let's just get in."

Will watched as Nico wadded into the brown lake. The sky was turning red. His silhouette in that red light was beautiful.

He followed right behind. He'd follow that sight anywhere.

When they were up to their chins and keeping themselves afloat, Nico looked to him again. The tops of the trees were still sheltering them, keeping them alone and safe.

"Percy said you were gay…" Nico whispered. It was silent save for their paddling and speech. "He was telling the truth?"

Will nodded. "My dad...he was never the same after I came out. It wasn't much of a surprise when he told me I was moving in with Percy."

Nico pursed his lips. "Your dad's a homophobic ass?"

Will nodded. He could still remember when he was called a faggot for the first time. It coming from his dad made it all the worse.

"And you came out just like that?" Nico asked. "Weren't... weren't you scared? Scared Percy would reject you?"

Will shrugged. "A little. But if someone rejected me for that then they never really cared about me."

Nico stared down at the water. "I don't want to find out who really cares about me or not."

Will blinked. "Wait. You wanted to know all of that because... because you're...you wanted to be alone with me so no one would hear...you wanted to know because you also need to come out…"

Nico flinched. "Maybe it was a mistake-"

Will grabbed his arm before he could swim away. The cold water had cooled them both off long before, but neither got out of its security.

"It wasn't a mistake," he said. "It was smart. You let it out. You spoke it. That's what people need to do. They need to speak about what's bothering them."

Not suffer in silence. Not die in silence.

Nico gulped. "You don't hate me…"

"Why the fuck would I hate you?" Will asked. "Remember I'm gay too?"

Nico smiled. A soft smile, nothing like the adrenaline filled one.

"Does anyone else know?" Will asked.

Nico nodded. "Annabeth and Leo. My sister. That's it."

"What about your parents?" Will asked.

Nico's face darkened. "I don't have parents."

Will froze. The water was suddenly too cold. "What do you mean?"

"Mom died when I was six," Nico hissed. Ever word seemed to cause him pain. "Dad got with a new girl and she died in childbirth. He isn't a dad anymore. All he does is work and smoke and fuck who knows who. He isn't a dad, and I don't have parents."

Will wiped away the one tear to fall from Nico's eye. "You don't ever talk about this. You can tell."

Nico shook his head. "Never. And never again."

The butterflies and their red wings were stronger than ever as he rubbed his thumb against that pale cheek. Nico didn't pull away.

"You're gay…" Will whispered. "Admit it to yourself. Say it. The longer you stay in silence is the longer you suffer. You're safe to say it, it's only me here."

Nico tried desperately to regain his composure, his shield. "You first."

Will stared into those dark eyes. "I'm gay."

Nico stared right back. The veil over his eyes loosened. "I'm gay."

Will smiled. "You're gay. Are you single?"

Nico nodded. His lips were cherry red. "Are you?"

"Hopefully not for long…"

Nico blinked at him but didn't shy away. Instead, he moved closer until their chests were pressed together.

Adrenaline. Nico was obsessed for a reason. In the lake, Will also became addicted to that life-drug. He forgot everything else, including college and his stacks of papers and the warnings he had received. He forgot he had only known Nico for the day. In the water, their bodies together, they could have known each other for lifetimes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made an Instagram where I'll be posting pictures related to my works. Account is pey.119

Red streaks of something romantic colored the sky when they finally pulled themselves from the lake. Meeting up with the others had been given up long before, Nico said don't worry about it, Nico said a lot of things and Will always followed right along.

They laid there on what you could call a beach, feet in the shallow water and backs against the trees, Will in only his boxers again and Nico smoking a cigarette. The heat took the remaining water right off their skin, they felt it evaporating into nothing. The heat of the sun and the heat of the passion.

"What was that?" Will finally asked. 

Nico looked over, his hair wet and clumped, his hairpin back in and a braid having fallen out. His hair curled more once wet. "Do I have to explain it to you?"

Will blushed. "I mean… Are we…?"

Nico looked down at his lap. "Not openly. I...I'm not ready for that."

"Oh…" Will reached for his book bag and grabbed a water bottle out of it. "Why? Like, it's okay, I'm just wondering why."

Nico put his cigarette out against his arm before crumbling it. "I'm not you, William. I can't just tell myself I'm gay and prance around with the idea. My family...my friends...it's not just no big deal. It would change everything."

"Don't you want your life to change?"

"Not like that."

"Your friends seemed pretty comfortable about it when I came out," Will offered. "Or, when Percy outed me."

Nico's anger was flickering to life. "My friends aren't what I'm worried about, William. Not entirely. There's other things more drastic. So just... please...I can't do it. I can't tell them."

Will watched him pull out his who knows what number cigarette and light it. "Smoking can kill you."

"I won't last long enough for that."

Something stabbed at Will's gut. Why did most of Nico's words hurt him so much?

"You're going to grow old with me and all the others, and you're going to see your sister grow up," Will wished. "Now tell me about her. I...if we're together, even secretly, I want to know about you."

The veil in his eyes was covering most of his emotions. It was red with his anger still.

Nico sat up, his shirt sticking to his sweat, his boxers sticking to his thighs. He turned around and laid back in the water, his feet on Will's lap, his arms keeping his head above the shallow water.

"Hazel's five, a little rascal," Nico started. "I spent a week learning from YouTube how to braid hair so I could teach her. She wanted to do it to her friends or something and didn't have a mother to teach her. But now all she does is braid my hair."

Will smiled to himself. "You're a good brother. I don't have any siblings."

"You don't?"

Will shook his head. "No, but my family was always…" 

He thought back to the days in Texas. The sun was the same sun and the sky was the same sky, but everything had been colder. The constant fighting coming from the master bedroom. The hole in the wall in the shape of a fist. 

"I've never had those warm fuzzy feelings when it comes to family," Will continued. "Family isn't something that I've thanked God for. It's just my past."

Nico snorted. "You believe in God?"

Will frowned. "A little. Sometimes. When I see the sunrise or sunset, or my favorite song comes on the radio just when I need it, or when all my fear vanishes the moment I start talking to Him. You don't?"

"No. All of that is shit. Coincidence. The fucking universe."

Will shrugged. "Maybe it is. Who knows for sure."

A piece of some dead plant floated beside Nico's head. "Family isn't fuzzy for me unless you count Hazel. Or...or the dead. So I understand what you mean."

"What's it like having a little sister?" Will asked. "Good?"

"Honestly? No."

Will blinked. "What?"

Nico frowned. "It's not good. It's stress. It's always worrying about someone else. It's raising someone you never agreed to. It's loving someone, having them rip out your heart because you know they're never going to have a good life. They don't have parents to love them and they don't have a whole world in front of them, only Frostford, and you feel guilt for that even when it isn't in any way your fault. But you love them and can't imagine a world without them, even with everything they burden you with."

"You really care about her," Will whispered.

Nico nodded. "I'd do anything for her. But I can't bring her mother back from the dead. I can't make our father turn around. I can't get her out of Frostford."

"You love her," Will said. "You're doing your best. But as you said, she's not yours. You have no more responsibility than loving her."

"But she deserves better."

"I know."

"Maybe it's best I don't have a sibling," Will admitted. "Who knows what my dad would have done to them when I came out. Who knows what that'd make them feel, abandoned or what. But I still would have done it anyways. Just because I love someone and they exist doesn't mean I should live my life unable to breathe."

"I can't breathe," Nico whispered. His eyes were towards the sky, his hair floating in the water, pain evidence on his face. But Will saw something else. Some kind of hope.

He didn't say anything because there was nothing he could do. Not when Nico finally had some hope in those eyes. He couldn't risk him losing it.

Nico drove him home after the sun was dead and gone. Will leaned closer to him on the motorcycle this time, his chest pressed against his back, his arms tight around his waist. They were still wet from the lake but the warm night was drying them off. Nico's hair smelled like the water they made love in.

It was the first time he didn't like seeing Percy's house, or his own home, or whatever he chose to call it. Not when it meant peeling himself away from Nico.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Will asked once he was off the bike, his wet feet uncomfortable in his shoes. He was bound to have blisters by morning.

Nico nodded. "I'll see you at school."

"Will you get some sleep for me tonight?" Will asked. "Staying up this long isn't good for you."

Nico rolled his eyes. "What are you, my doctor?"

Will smirked. "I can be."

Nico groaned and kicked his leg. "Get in the house before I run you over, Solace."

"Okay, okay," Will smiled. "Um... goodnight."

Nico nodded. "Night."

And then he was driving away, leaving Will alone on the street, watching after him. Only when he was out of sight and the motorcycle couldn't be heard any longer did Will leave the street and enter the house.

Dinner was cold but there for him. The bathroom light was still on to light his path. Dry clothes were waiting for him.

Once he ate and changed into his pajamas, Will got ready to do his homework but stopped when he heard faint crying. It was late, maybe midnight or later, and all the bedroom doors but his own were closed. But he could track it to Percy's easily enough.

What could he possibly be crying about? Nothing made sense to Will, but everyone had secrets they didn't tell. Everyone was going through something.

With the bathroom light to guide him, he went to Percy's door and knocked before opening it.

"Percy?" he whispered. "Are you okay?"

Percy quickly wiped his face and pulled a blanket over himself, sitting up to greet him. "Will! What are you doing in here?"

The room was just how Will expected it to be. Blue walls and blankets, the window open and a breeze coming through, a seashell on the desk and a dreamcatcher hanging on the wall.

Will closed the door behind him and crept into the room. Percy's eyes were red and a few more tears escaped them. Before he had covered with that blanket, Will had caught sight of the scar on his chest.

"I heard you crying," Will whispered. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Percy looked away. "It was a dream. It was nothing. You can go back to bed."

Will sat on the foot of the bed. "Nightmare? About what? You...you can tell me, Percy. I want to help."

Percy lowered the blanket and revealed the scar again. That big, red, ugly thing. "The day I got this."

Will gulped. "How'd it happen?"

"You really want to know?" Percy asked. "It's...it's my troubles, my past. Nothing you need to worry about."

"Talking about it helps," Will said. "Talking helps. Get it out, let it go."

"Remember when I said my mom had married before dad?" Percy asked. "Her ex husband, his name was Gabe. He wasn't...he wasn't a good person."

"Oh…"

Percy scratched the scar. "It doesn't hurt anymore. I just dream about it sometimes."

"How...how exactly was it made?" Will asked. "It looks like it was pretty gruesome."

"Fish hook," Percy mumbled. "That's... that's all I want to say, Will. I don't want to relive it."

"You...you said he _was_ a bad guy. Is he dead?"

Percy nodded. "Got killed. They never found out who did it." He smiled. "I think sometimes they just don't want to. I was still in the hospital when he died. They saw what he had done to me." He paused. "Everyone saw."

"But nobody talks about it," Will guessed.

Percy nodded. "We don't talk about it, about him."

Will hesitated before hugging his cousin. "Thanks for telling me."

Percy laughed but hugged him back. "You're really...odd, Will. Sensitive or something."

"Because I care. I just want those I care about to stay alive and happy. That's all I want."

Percy yawned. Something in him switched and Will knew he was done with the heart-to-heart. Everyone in town had complex defense mechanisms and none of them seemed to even realize it. "What time is it?"

"One" Will checked. "You should get back to sleep. I have to go do all my work."

Percy stretched before laying back. "Just skip it all."

"Yeah, no can do." Will got up and glanced down at him again. "Remember you can always talk to me. Goodnight."

Percy waved and yawned again. "Night, Solace."

The morning was the same as the one before, and Will realized that no one actually talked. Not about anything important. Especially Percy Jackson.

Percy didn't question him about anything, not about where he and Nico had went or what had kept him out so late or why he looked so happy and tired at the same time. He just ate his breakfast and talked about a new TV show. Nothing about the night before.

Will wanted to tell him about his new relationship, he wanted to tell everyone, but he kept it inside because Nico would never forgive him.

But damn was it hard. They pulled up to the building in the same truck, in the same parking space, Nico's motorcycle in the same space beside them. Leo was on it like usual, Nico was smoking a cigarette, they had McDonald's. Everything was the same.

But everything was different.

Will smiled at Nico as he got off the truck, tried to think of something to say but not wanting to give anything away. Finally he decided on a good morning.

Nico nodded at him, his dark eyes looking tired, his pale hands stained with nicotine. "Morning, Solace."

Annabeth and Leo stared at each other but no one else seemed to notice anything. But Will didn't care what anyone thought. Only Nico. Everything was about Nico.

Will felt his face turn as red as the motorcycle as he thought about the night before. The lake. The setting sun and how beautiful it looked in its suicide, how beautiful Nico looked in its dying light. How he had felt. How he saw God in that moment.

Nico was late to math again. He took a seat by Will and propped his feet up on the desk, his dark eyes staring at Percy before moving to Will. "Lake again today?"

"Ooh, definitely," Percy cut in. "Heat's supposed to be even worse than yesterday. Did you know-"

Nico gave Will a look when Percy started sprouting random pieces of information. Will couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm going to take Will again," Nico said. "Leo can ride with you guys. If Jason lets you use the truck again."

"We'll hope," Percy said. "He's always had a stick up his ass. Him and Reyna."

Nico's eyes were on Percy and full of pain. Why did those two occurrences always correspond? "They're best friends for a reason, Jackson."

"You and Leo are nothing alike."

"Leo's an insufferable shithead that knows too much about me," Nico explained. "We're not friends because we're alike like they are. We're friends because he basically forced it."

"I tried to force it-"

"You'll never be my friend, Jackson."

Percy huffed and looked to Will. "Nico's testy, you'll get used to it. He has been since we were little."

"Since I was ten," Nico corrected.

"Since he was ten," Percy repeated.

Will wondered if he had imagined his talk with Percy the night before. Nothing about him showed that it had happened, not even a small hint, not even a scratch at his chest. Nothing. Even his actions hid it as his words did.

Nico brushed his fingers against Will's before pulling away again. "You look tired, Percy."

"I'm always tired."

Nico huffed. "Touché."

"Did you get any sleep last night, Nico?" Will asked. "Or are you running on coffee and burgers?"

"Coffee and burgers." Nico gave him a rare smile and bumped their shoulders together before grabbing his bag. He stood up and stretched, Mrs. Dodds still ignorant to it as she scribbled some equation on the board.

The artificial lights melted his dark eyes into pools of chocolate. He was everything Will wanted.

"I'm leaving, this is boring as hell," Nico said. "Will, do you want to come?"

Will stared into those eyes. "Skip school?"

Nico nodded. "I can show you some things around town."

"He wants to go to college, remember?" Percy asked. He got up and punched Nico's shoulder. "I'll go with you."

Will wasn't sure what made Nico blush. And he sure as hell didn't understand how Percy didn't notice it.

"Jackson-"

"I don't have swimming today so I have nothing to stay for," Percy continued. "We can go get burgers and you can help me come up with a gift for Annabeth's birthday."

Nico's eyes flickered with anger and the blush disappeared. "Will, I'm picking you up as soon as that last bell rings. Be ready."

He touched him again, their hands brushing together for a few seconds before Nico's retreated. Nico's fingertips were stained with blood. His nails were cut too short.

Nico hesitated before leading Percy out. Mrs. Dodds still wrote on the board. Will finally started to take notes.

Will wasn't as excited to get to lunch knowing that Nico wouldn't be there. But he sat beside those he wanted to call friends, those he had known for twenty-four hours but still felt comfortable around. Still cared about. Still wanted to save.

Jason was to his right and Leo was to his left. Sally had packed another fresh lunch. Another red apple to match the table.

"Did Nico ever show up to your math class?" Jason asked. His blue eyes mirrored his own. Full of worry, that feeling of wanting to save everyone. But he had come to the conclusion long ago that he couldn't. 

Will nodded. "He asked me to leave with him but I...I froze. I still care about work. Percy swooped in and went with him."

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. "Stupid, stupid."

Will frowned. "Who's stupid?"

"Percy." Jason lowered his voice. "Look, Nico has his things to tell. But Percy won't ever stop trying to be his friend. And Nico doesn't want it."

"Can...can I talk to you somewhere privately?" Will asked. "I have a lot to ask and this is too public."

Jason grabbed his bag and stood up. He kissed Piper on the cheek before heading out, gesturing for Will to follow.

Nobody questioned it. Nobody questioned anything.

Jason led him to the bathroom. Two boys were sitting on the sinks, smoking up something. The air was foggy with it. 

"Hey, get out," Jason ordered. "One word about it and the fact you have those drugs is going to become a lot more public."

The boys hurried out and Will had a feeling the threat was only half the reason. Jason was built and pretty intimidating, not to mention he seemed pretty high up in the high school hierarchy. Football, judging by his jacket, student council.

Once they were alone Jason stood against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. The dog tags he wore made him look even more like a soldier. His short hair didn't help.

"Nobody likes to talk about what's wrong with them," Will began. "Nobody. I come here and feel like I have to fix everyone. Why is everybody so...messed up?"

"It's only the group you associated yourself with, not everyone," Jason corrected. "They're messed up and they think ignoring it will help."

"But it won't."

"It won't."

Will touched his hand where Nico's fingers had been not long before. "What's going on between Nico and Percy?"

Jason paused. "What do you mean?"

"Don't give me that, please. I may have only...holy shit, I've only known Nico for a day."

"What does that have to do with-... Oh…" Jason blinked. "You mean... Nico actually... you're together?"

Will put a finger to his lips. "He doesn't want anyone to know. I...I can't believe I even told you. He's freaked the fuck out that people will find out he's gay."

"Yeah, I know. He's been that way since he was ten." Jason shook his head in disbelief. "I just can't believe he actually made a move and didn't just ignore the feelings between you two."

Will blushed at the memory. "I may have been...very forward with it."

"You have to be when it comes to Nico," Jason agreed. "He's… he's Nico. But if you hurt him, I swear to God they won't find your body."

Will held his hands up. "I won't, I promise."

"Good." Jason smiled. "Because I won't give you that warning again. Nobody hurts my friends."

"But they've been hurt before," Will said. "Percy, his scar… Nico's still hurting over something to do with Percy but I can't figure it out yet. Leo's got some kind of self confidence issue. He was so fucking proud but suspicious that I actually thought his inventions were cool."

Jason nodded. "You're observant."

"Observant? Everyone else is just oblivious."

Jason shrugged. "I guess. Did...did Percy tell you about the scar?"

"Yeah, told me his old evil step dad did it," Will said. "Then he ended up dead or something. But you can tell it still bothers him. He was crying from a nightmare."

"Gabe was a shithead," Jason declared. "What he did to Sally and Percy… He deserved everything he got."

Will didn't know if anyone really deserved death. Sure, Gabe was what Jason had said: a shithead. An abusive motherfucker. But he was still human.

Maybe that was the healing side of Will kicking in. Those instincts he had since childhood. What made him different and opposite from Jason but ever bit as protective and caring.

His teachers used to say he was born to help others. His father used to say he shouldn't have been born at all.

"How'd he die?" Will asked. "Percy's my cousin and I never knew this happened. I...I feel guilt. I should have known. I should have helped. We talked on the phone, his mom was always talking with mine. I should have caught it."

"Nobody caught it," Jason bit out. "We all should have. Nobody did. Percy ended up in the hospital and Gabe got a bullet through the skull. It shouldn't have ended like that but it did."

"If someone had caught it, it could have ended more peacefully."

"Yeah. Not so much blood."

Will shook his head. "What about Nico?"

"That's not for me to say."

"Please?" Will pleaded. "I just want to help."

"You can't," Jason declined. "Trust me, if you could then I'd tell you. But you can't."

Before Will could bother Jason any longer about it the bell rang for lunch to be over. It shook them both out of what could be called a stare-down, the air having grown tense as they talked. Jason was protective over his friends as well as their pain. Will was just protective over them.

"Nico will tell you when he's ready, not a moment before," Jason warned. "Force it out of him and I'll kill you."

Will didn't doubt it for a second. But something told him that Nico's secret was more life-or-death than he originally thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Nico was waiting just as he promised. Will stepped out of the building and followed the others to the parking spaces, and there Nico was. His red motorcycle was like a beacon to Will. He associated everything red with it now.

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth greeted. "Skip again and you'll be sorry."

Percy hopped off the motorcycle and only then did Nico stop blushing. "Come on, once in awhile isn't bad, Nico here…"

Will tuned Percy out and looked to Nico. "You said you were picking me up. Where are you taking me?"

Nico tore his eyes away from Percy. "Away. Come on, I already took Hazel home."

Will didn't hesitate. He didn't think about the homework he forgot in his locker or the paper due Monday. He got on that red motorcycle and wrapped his arms around Nico's waist, felt his hip bones, thought about how he had kissed them the day before. In the lake. The dead plants getting in the way.

"See you assholes tomorrow!" Nico called, waving goodbye and driving off. The rocks kicked up around them and the wind beat their faces. Will wondered how hard it had to be to make the bruises Nico was covered with.

"You need to invest in a helmet," he whispered in his ear. A faint blush covered Nico's neck.

"Or what?" he asked. "If I bash my brains against the road, then I bash my brains against the road. No biggie."

Will held him closer and took in the wind. His fingertips started to leave bruises against that pale skin. 

"I'm going to show you something," Nico said. "Not many people know about it."

Will was as close as he could get but kept wanting to get even closer. He wanted to melt into him. "What is it?"

Nico didn't answer but made the motorcycle go faster. The wheels made dirt roads as they raced through the forest. Nobody followed and nobody was around.

Will spent the ride with his head on Nico's shoulder, taking in the smell of his hair, listening to his quiet breaths. He didn't dare loosen his grip on him in fear of losing him. He has never been so emotionally attached to another human before.

(His first boyfriend was a runner up, however. Mark had been the forbidden fruit he was too tempted to let go. There were no kisses or touches or anything that made him think the relationship was meant to be, but harsh words and secret meetings and everything to prove his father's homophobia right. Being with Nico had been the first time being gay felt _right_ )

The motorcycle slowed to a stop too soon for his liking. Will finally pulled away from Nico and got up with him, his shoes snapping the twigs and leaves at his feet. 

"Where are we?" 

Nico held his hand out. Some of his blood got on Will when he took it. 

"Follow me," Nico ordered. "Trust me, you won't regret it."

And he trusted him. He trusted him more than he had ever trusted anyone. They weren't connected by blood or time, or the waters of the womb or anything else that deemed it right. They were just connected by that lake. Their bones and skin against each other. 

Nico led him through the trees and non-existent path until stopping at the edge of the tree line. He looked to Will, smiled- actually _smiled_ , and gestured for him to step forward.

"When I die, it'll be here. This is my favorite place."

Will looked over at him before stepping through the trees, his breath hitching in his throat when he saw what Nico meant. They were standing at a cliff, no fence or human-made device keeping them from going over, all nature spread out before them. The drop was over a hundred feet down, and at the bottom the forest was there again, continuing on for what felt like eternity. The horizon greeted the trees in a red hug as it did every day.

"Holy shit…" Will breathed. "It's beautiful."

Nico sat down and grinned up at him. Will had a feeling no one had ever seen him as happy as this.

"I go here when I need a break from all of them," Nico explained. "It's relaxing. It helps me work things out."

Will sat beside him. "Is this place what gives you hope?"

Nico nodded.

Will looked out at the sky and breathed in the fresh air he never would have experienced back in the city. "Never lose that hope, Nico. Do what your dreams are. Follow that hope."

Nico looked over at him. "You don't even know what it is."

"Hope is hope."

Nico hummed and looked at the view. "You know, maybe you were right."

"About?"

"Seeing God. You told me to follow that hope. I was looking for a sign that I was right. And last night, in the lake…"

Will elbowed him. "You look good happy. So, what's that hope? Getting out of Frostford?"

"Nobody gets out of Frostford alive."

Will sighed. He reached out and held onto Nico's hand, holding it close to himself. He felt the invisible red strings of love tying his heart to Nico's.

They stayed there, silent except for their breaths, silent except for the nature around them, silent except for their still beating hearts. The sky darkened and the sun set, leaving them in the lights of the stars.

Will fell asleep a few times, napped here and there, woke up with his head in Nico's lap and a blanket of stars above him. During the times he woke and looked around, Nico was either staring off the cliff or doing something on his phone. 

He dreamt of warm blankets and soft skin and Nico's smell. His summer heart lulled him back to peaceful dreams each time he woke from the slight discomfort of sleeping on the forest floor.

"Promise you won't leave me," he whispered out during the night. "Don't leave me, Nico."

"I'm here," Nico confirmed. "And I won't move until you wake up."

There were no thoughts on bugs, on animals, on the sweat dripping down his back or the school day in the morning. There was nothing but peace.

In the morning he woke to a bird crying at another. It wasn't too bright yet, just a lighter darkness above them and fewer stars. Nico was sitting where he had been all night, Will's head in his lap, frowning at a paper and book that looked familiar. Will couldn't quite place it yet, still fuzzy from sleep and peace, and he let out a soft yawn before trying again.

"Is that...my homework?" he asked.

Nico glanced down at him before scowling. "No."

"I think it is."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Maybe it is. Whatever."

Will sat up with a groan and a hand on his back. "What time is it?"

Nico grabbed his phone from his pocket and sighed. "My phone died somewhere around midnight. That's why I have an actual flashlight out. But the sun usually rises around 5:50, 6:00."

Will grabbed his homework from Nico's lap and couldn't help his surprise when he saw how much Nico had done, and how well he had done it at that.

"You're good at math," Will commented. "Why don't you ask to be moved up?"

"I hate work. I hate responsibilities." Nico started to pack their bags. "I only did it because you want to go to college. I didn't want you to fuck that up because you decided to follow me out here."

Will blinked before letting out a tired laugh. “Well...thanks, Nico. I just wish you cared about yourself as much as you care about me.”

Nico zipped his bag and stood up, his eyes taking in that vast expanse of _nothing_ over the cliff. The remaining stars were mirrored in his eyes.

“We should get going,” Nico said. “I have to get Hazel up and make her breakfast. If I don’t then she won’t eat.”

Will grabbed his bag and stood up. His legs didn’t feel completely right, but the minor aches he had weren’t surprising after sleeping out there all night. If anything, he was surprised they hadn’t been bothered by any wild animals.

“I’m going to need coffee,” Will commented. “Lots of it. And since you didn’t get any sleep again, I’ll bet you need some, too.”

Nico smiled. “Yeah, I do. We’ll make a pot when we get there. But I need you to promise me something before we take off.”

“Yeah, anything.”

Nico took a breath of that fresh air before speaking, his fingers picking at his stubbed nails or hanging skin around them, drawing more blood to the surface. "You can't tell anyone about this place. _No one_. This...this is _my_ place. My… Just don't tell anyone."

"It's a secret," Will concluded. 

Nico nodded. "Yes."

"Just like our relationship."

Nico winced as if he had been hit before turning to glare at him. "Am I not enough? Are we not enough? Do you need to flaunt a relationship around like every other guy-"

Will took Nico's face in his hands. "You're more than enough. We're more than enough. If it's what makes you comfortable, makes you happy, I can live with it."

Nico leaned into his hand. "Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay…" Nico kissed Will's hand before pulling away. "Let's start heading back. Early morning rides are the best. And don't worry, we'll be back here before you know it."

Will looked off the cliff one last time before following him to the motorcycle. The only ounce of sadness in him was the fact no one had come looking for him when he never came home.

* * *

By the time they pulled up to Nico's house, the sun was ripping its way into existence, leaving behind red streaks of paint in its wake. The wind hitting his face had woken him up completely, but every time he took in Nico's smell he wanted to fall asleep all over again.

But the ride was over soon enough. He looked up and expected a house like Percy's, maybe more rundown or newer depending on how close it was to town. What he didn't expect was a near mansion sitting before him.

"This is your house?" Will asked.

Nico nodded. "My great great whatever grandpa built it, kept handing it down. My dad got it when he was 18. His dad killed himself."

"Oh…"

Nico parked the motorcycle and jumped off, sorting through the keys on his keychain. "Come on, let's get some coffee and something to eat before we head back to school."

Will stared at the intimidating door and its bronze knockers. "You're sure this is your house? You're not playing a joke on me?"

Nico unlocked the door and swung it open. "Not playing a joke on you. Now get inside."

Will did as he was told and entered the foyer, his eyes wide as he took in the old wood and ancient decorations. "Your house is awesome."

"It's a house, not a home."

Nico led him past the double staircases and down the long hallway, old portraits lining the walls. Under each it said the name, most not di Angelo's like Nico was, along with their cause of death. Suicides, at least six, cancers, murders. Nothing natural and nothing peaceful.

"When is your picture going to go up?" Will asked.

"When I die." Nico hesitated beside the last picture, his hand resting against it for a split second before he continued on and entered the kitchen. Will stayed behind and looked at it, frowned when he saw some of the same features he saw on Nico's face.

_Maria Ginevra di Angelo- Hargreaves  
Murdered_

So Nico had taken his mother's maiden name. It did make sense after everything he had said about his father. But the idea that Maria had been murdered wasn't as expected.

"Will, what are you doing?"

Will tore his gaze away from the picture and followed where Nico had gone. The kitchen was fairly large, bright compared to the rest of the house, warm like the kitchen back at Sally's. It seemed to be the only room in the house that had held good feelings.

Nico was standing at the island, cracking eggs into a bowl while coffee brewed. Sunlight streamed through the vast amount of windows and gave them no need for artificial light despite them being so deep in the forest. 

Will sat on one of the barstools and watched Nico cook. This side of Nico was another that was rare, invisible if you only knew him at school or around town. This was big brother Nico, a father-like Nico, a loving Nico. This along with the hope at that cliff were Will's favorite sides of Nico.

Nico started to cook eggs. All Will did was watch.

The clock on the microwave struck 7 before he heard movement in the house. Nico looked up momentarily at the sound of footsteps on the floor above them before looking back at the stove, his gaze softening. "Here comes Hazel."

Will stood when the coffee had finished brewing and poured them both a cup. When he sat down with his own and took his first sip, who he guessed was Hazel sprinted into the room.

Her skin was darker than Nico's but her eyes were the same melted chocolate. Her outfit could have fit in with the style of the 50's and 60's, her long skirt going passed her knees and her shoes looking suspiciously like they were designed for tap dancing. She laid eyes on Will before looking to her brother, her large smile showing a few missing teeth.

"Is this your boyfriend?"

Nico turned as red as the barstool's faded fabric. "Hazel Marie-"

"What?" she asked. "Dad's not home!"

Nico looked down at the pan as if he wanted to be the one burning, not the eggs. "Yes, he's my boyfriend. But don't you dare tell anybody-"

Hazel squealed and jumped onto the barstool beside Will. "Hi! I'm Hazel. What's your name?"

"Will Solace, it's nice to meet you," he greeted.

"You too!" Hazel smiled at him before looking to her older brother. "Nico, can I go to Frank's after school today?"

"I told you this before. I literally don't give a fuck." Nico turned the oven off and set her plate in front of her. "Now eat."

Will gave Nico a look. "You shouldn't curse around her. She's so young."

Hazel swallowed a bite and wiped her mouth as if she had been waiting days to reply to that. "Nico can say whatever he wants because I can say whatever I want. He lets me say bastard!"

Nico dug his head into the table as Will tried to keep his laughs in. She was definitely Nico's sister, alright. And she really was a joy to have around.

But what Nico had said ruined his mood. She'd never get out of Frostford. She'd never make a life for herself. She'd never be anything more than that town.

"Hazel," Will started. "What do you want to be when you get older?"

Hazel shrugged. "I like horses."

She was just a kid that liked horses. She didn't have a mom to do her hair or sing her to sleep. She didn't have a family to grow up around. All she had was a brother who was more unstable than her.

"Who's Frank?" Will asked. "You're friend?"

She nodded. "Frank's in my class. He likes horses, too. He doesn't have a mom, either. And his dad is scary, too."

Nico finished his coffee and poured himself another cup. Blood from his fingers stained the mug.

"Hurry up, Hazel," Nico whispered. "We don't know when father's getting back."

Hazel’s cheerful demeanor disappeared at the sound of her brother’s words. “I’m done eating. I was just talking to Will.”

Nico grabbed her plate and started to shovel the remaining food into his mouth. “Go get your bag. You'll have to ride on Will's lap. He's coming with us."

Hazel jumped from the barstool and ran from the room. Ever since their father had been mentioned, an icy air had settled over the once warm kitchen.

Will thought about Nico's bruises, how the wind could never have made them. How cold the house was, even colder than his had been in Texas. The familiar chill of an unwelcoming house. Not a home.

"Nico, want to sleep over tonight?" Will asked. "I have room in my bed."

He didn't, not really, but he wasn't going to tell Nico that. Not when he could have finally found the reason why Nico never slept.

Nico washed the plate and mugs and put them away before answering. His voice was guarded, stepping around eggshells. "Percy's house."

Will nodded. "Well...my house, too…or...or I hope it is."

"Percy will be there," Nico repeated.

Will frowned. "Well...yeah, he lives there. But he'll be in his own room."

Nico grabbed his bag and threw it on. A bruise that looked too red stood out on his cheekbone.

"If I don't have to see him," he accepted in a whisper.

Will smiled. "It'll be just the two of us. Like at the cliff. Safe under a roof where no one will hurt us."

Nico's dark eyes looked so tired. "We'll get to sleep."


	5. Chapter 5

Will got a text halfway through first period from Leo's phone. He pulled it up beneath his desk and took a quick look, his eyes still fuzzy from the night but his heart full. All he wanted to do was go sleep with Nico by his side, deep in the Burrow.

_It's Nico. I'm heading to your place now. See you when you get out_

Will smiled down at it before putting his phone away and looking back to his notes. Knowing Nico was safe and comfortable made his day all the more better, even if he didn't have Nico at his side.

"I was playing the new Call of Duty game all last night," Percy chatted away. "Mom finally made me go to bed around three, four."

Will ignored him like usual and took notes. His black pen ran out and he had to replace it with red ink.

When Will sat down for lunch, the friend group seemed more normal than ever. Percy wasn't talking about nonsense, Leo wasn't building anything. Jason and Reyna were both sitting with them.

"Will, thank god you're here," Jason greeted. "You have to be part of the planning."

"The planning of…?"

"Nico's surprise party," Reyna answered. "You two are close. He would want you there."

Leo leaned forward. "We'll have it at the bunker. I've been working on installing air conditioning. It should be done by Saturday. That way we can have all the drinks we want."

Piper high-fived him.

Will picked at his lunch as he listened to them debate, but also listened to how much they really cared about Nico. They wanted to make him happy. Jason was worried that he wouldn't be comfortable. Leo was worried Will would have too much work to make it.

(All of them seemed to now think of Will and Nico as the same person, or Will as Nico's source of happiness, or maybe even that they actually were together. It wasn't spoken but the reality of how close they were was known)

"Where is he now?" Reyna asked, looking over her shoulder to see if he was anywhere near.

"Skipped," Leo supplied.

Percy put a hand to his chest. "And he didn't ask me to come with him?"

"You're not friends," Leo and Annabeth said at once.

Will looked to his cousin and frowned at the hurt in his eyes. "Why is that? Aren't you all friends?"

The table went silent at the question. Leo's face was disturbingly red.

"I'd like to know that, too." Percy said, his voice deadly serious.

Annabeth put a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "It's not personal."

"It feels pretty damn personal to me." Percy shrugged her hand off. "I thought maybe it was just me, maybe I was just missing something. But Will's just as lost as I am."

Leo let out an awkward chuckle. "I don't know anything."

"Bullshit. You and Nico are close as fuck."

"It's Nico's secret to tell," Annabeth whispered. "Telling you would be betraying his trust."

"What did I do wrong?" Percy asked. "I thought we were close. I thought...after Bianca...I thought he forgave me. Was it Bianca? Does he still hate me for that?"

"Bianca?" Will questioned, looking to Jason for answers. But the blond football star was too busy looking at Percy with a face full of pain.

(Percy didn't show emotions often. He didn't show himself at all. Will wondered what had caused this break in him. And why his friends hadn't seen it coming)

"Percy, he forgives you for Bianca-"

"How do you know? He could...he could...it's my fault she's dead-"

"Percy," Will cut in. "Come with me. Let's take a walk."

He kept his voice low, quiet, comforting, kept a hand on Percy's arm a little more strong but every bit as warm. Kept Percy close as he coaxed him out of his seat without another word.

(He wanted to be a good cousin. He wanted to _save_ \- Percy, Leo, Nico. Will knew he could if he tried hard enough)

Will kept close to Percy as he led him out of the cafeteria and into the furthest bathroom. No kids were in there thanks to the location, and an old lock still remained on the main door to keep any of them from coming in.

As soon as Will let him go so he could lock the door Percy strode over to the sinks and turned one on, bending down and letting his head lay under in. His dark locks clumped together and fell before him, water running through them and drip drip _dripping_ into the sink.

Will stood and stared before deciding on any words.

"Are you okay?"

Percy's tight grip on the stained sink began to loosen. "I don't know. I just...thank you for getting me out of there."

Will made sure it was dry before sitting on the sink beside Percy. The faucet carved into his back.

He noticed the water drenching Percy's head was cold.

"Okay, enough of that." Will turned the water off and helped Percy stand up. "You're going to give yourself hypothermia."

Percy still leaned on the sink but didn't fight his directions. His wet hair stuck to his forehead and cheeks.

"I like water," Percy whispered. "It makes me feel better. Makes me feel real."

"Cold water specifically?"

Percy nodded.

Will sighed and leaned back against the mirror despite his back screaming at him, the faucet digging in, the pain starting to spread over his back.

"For what it's worth," Will started, "I don't know Nico's secret. I'm just as lost as you. But I don't think he hates you."

"You've known him for less than a week."

(Less than a week. He had known Nico for less than a week and felt as if they spent lifetimes together. Were soulmates real? He had seen posts about it online, the scientific theories behind them. The Big Bang. They were all stardust and atoms. Their essences could have been together back then)

"Tell me what you're thinking. Explain. I...I need to know everything to be able to help." Will paused. "Who's Bianca?"

Percy tensed again. But he looked more human like this than ever before.

"She was Nico's older sister," Percy whispered. "She died."

Will felt sick.

"I was with her when she..." Percy gazed up at the mirror and stared at his reflection in the artificial light. Droplets of water hung out on his eyelashes. "I was friends with her and her girlfriend, Zoe. But the fact that they were together...she didn't even tell Nico. Nico still doesn't know. I only knew because I accidentally walked in on them. She didn't want to tell him, I still don't know why. But I kept my promise to her that I wouldn't ever tell him the truth."

Will gulped at the sound of the bell but didn't move. For the first time in his life, he said fuck class and fuck school because this was more important. _Percy_ was more important. His cousin held more in his heart than any class of his did. And he knew if Nico needed him, really needed him like Percy did now, he wouldn't hesitate to skip for him, either. 

(Were soulmates real? Even at a time like this he couldn't stop thinking about what he'd do for Nico)

"So you were with Bianca and Zoe," Will accepted.

Percy nodded. "They wanted to go on a date but didn't want anyone to get suspicious. So I tagged along so no one would get any ideas. People actually thought Bianca liked me. And we accepted that because it kept them from knowing the truth."

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened them before continuing.

"We went to the old church, the abandoned one. Bi thought it was creepy and cool, she always had a thing for old abandoned places. Zoe liked it because Bianca did. But I...I never had a good feeling about the place. _Ever_. But I never really trusted my instincts back then. Gabe...Gabe was still around.

"Bianca and Zoe went exploring up ahead. Bianca wanted to find the staircase going up. I kept telling her there wasn't a second floor but she wouldn't listen. She was just...so interested. So curious. It was just who she was. So her and Zoe went ahead and I stayed by the alter. I heard they used to be saint's bones in there and I was curious if there were any still in there."

Will raised an eyebrow. "I think they take them when they deem a church is closing its doors."

"Yeah, well, this is Frostford," Percy defended. "I was twelve and this is Frostford. I doubt the ones in charge care what happens here."

Will shrugged but didn't feel too nonchalant about the whole thing. The story was really giving him the chills.

"Well, there's a reason the church is abandoned now," Percy whispered. "The whole thing was falling apart. They fell through the top of the bell tower."

Will tried to picture how they must have landed to have died from not too high of a drop. Broken necks and bloody skin would take over his dreams that night.

"Did you tell Nico the truth besides their relationship?" Will asked. "How they really died, that Bianca was the one that wanted to explore?"

Percy nodded. 

"Then he doesn't hate you."

Percy frowned. "You don't know that-"

"I know Nico," Will swore. "I haven't known him for long but I know him. Who he is. He cares so fucking deeply it destroys him. He doesn't hate you. Maybe if you had been the one to push her, maybe, just _maybe_ he'd hate you. But if he knows you didn't do it, there's no way he blames you."

(Were soulmates real?)

"He doesn't look at you like he hates you, either. He doesn't look at you with any anger in his eyes. Just pain. But you can see he cares about you, too. More than he cares about any of his other damn friends. You might remind him of her but he sure as hell doesn't hate you."

(Were soulmates real?)

"I see him see you. I see it. It almost makes me jealous sometimes, the way he looks at you. He cares about you. So please, please don't think he hates you. I don't think he could ever hate you. He-"

(Were soulmates real?)

"He...oh..."

He always questioned if Percy would be there. He always watched him. 

That _blush_.

That pain.

His fear of outing himself.

He was afraid of what Percy would think, no one else.

Their relationship having to stay secret.

His pain.

(Were soulmates real? Maybe Nico was Will's if he could see him for who he really was. But was he Nico's?)

"He doesn't hate you," Will confirmed. "I can promise you that. But I'm going to go talk to him anyways."

Percy frowned. "Will, you have class-"

"My cousin is more important than class."

Percy smiled, a smile that actually reached those sea green eyes. His dimples showed. 

Will hopped off the sink and felt the relief of the faucet not digging into his back, felt his feet hit the wooden floor and tried not to think of what would happen if he went through it, like Bianca and Zoe had fallen through wood years before. How it was probably still stained red with their blood. 


	6. Chapter 6

Will took his time walking back to Percy's house. The town was dead, everyone at work or school, the sun shown and his shoes scraped against the pavement. In the midst of his war-torn mind, he could have sworn he heard those old church bells ringing.

Everything made sense. There weren't anymore secrets. That fuzzy veil over Frostford that had tricked him at first had finally been lifted.

Nico wasn't in love with him. He was in love with Percy. And he wasn't sure if he could get him out of it.

He kept walking. His shirt stuck to his back. 

Would it be right to try to stop it? To try and take away love? It was painful, it would never be returned, it was only making Nico's life worse. But it was still the purest thing about life.

But Percy could never return it. He'd try, he'd be guilty until the grave, but he'd never be able to love Nico like Nico loved him.

Love was supposed to be good. It wasn't supposed to hurt so much.

"Will, what are you doing out of school?"

Will looked up at the shock out of his inner monologue and saw he had arrived at Percy's house. Sally was sitting on the porch, coffee beside her, her laptop open and on a blank document.

"I..." he looked down. "It's complicated."

"Anything I can help with?" she asked. 

He shook his head. 

She frowned. "Know you can always come to me with a problem, Will."

"I know. I just...need to lay in my room for awhile."

She raised an eyebrow but didn't object, instead moving her items so he could pass. Once he was in the house and out of her sight, he ran up the steps and to his room. The door was closed and the bathroom light was on, everything was normal, but it would be the first time he would be alone in a _bedroom_ with a boy. And he knew it was a pretty shitty thing to be scared of, especially since him and Nico had already been intimate, but he couldn't help but freeze momentarily in that bathroom light, staring at the wood of the door.

Hesitation. A few seconds of it. Then he opened the door and slipped inside, closing it behind him.

Nico was laying on his mattress, naked besides his boxers, fast asleep. His clothes were sitting beside the bed, and with them his phone, hairpin, and cigarettes were tucked into his boots. His key chain was still around his neck. His hair was in its normal braids.

Beautiful. Just the sight of him stopped all worry Will had on his way over.

Nico was beautiful, he was safe, and he was asleep in his bed.

Maybe Will should have thought before he acted. But before he knew it he was climbing in bed beside him, stripping down to his own boxers to escape the heat, his arms wrapping around Nico's torso and pulling him close, falling asleep to his breaths.

Will jumped awake at the sound of the door opening. Through his haze of sleep, he sat up and blinked at the situation before him. He smelled cigarette smoke. And Sally Jackson was standing in front of him saying _something_.

He blinked again and rubbed his eyes. "What?"

Sally gave him a look. "Awake now?"

He shrugged before yawning. "What's going on?"

She gestured to the window. Will followed her gaze and blinked at the sunlight, his mind not really figuring out what was wrong. Nico di Angelo was there, sitting on the window sill, one foot hanging out and the other hanging into the room, a cigarette in his mouth.

What...

Oh.

"Nico!" Will hissed. "You're smoking in the house."

Nico took the cigarette out of his mouth. "I opened the window."

"She obviously still smelled it, Nico."

"She knew I was here! Someone had to let me in."

Will looked back to Sally. "You let him in?"

She gave him an amused smile. "I did. But I didn't know you two were..." She gestured to their clothes on the ground and the blanket wrapped around Nico. "But good for you, Nico honey. You needed something good in life."

Nico blushed and looked back outside. "Thank you, Miss Sally. Just...please don't tell anyone. Not even Percy. _Especially_ Percy."

There it was. The way he said Percy's name. Will wanted to be sick.

How the fuck hadn't he noticed it before. How the fuck-

"Nico..." Sally walked over to the dark haired boy and kissed the top of his head. "Remember what I just said. It's _good_ to see you and Will together. You deserve to be happy."

And holy shit. She knew.

Nico just took another drag of the cigarette.

"I'm doing my best to keep him happy," Will assured her. "I love him. And even if he can't fully love me back, it's good to be together."

Nico stared over at him.

Will gave him a soft smile, or one he hoped didn't look too painful. 

"Well, let me know if you two need anything," Sally said. "Estelle and Tyson should be home from school soon, so I'll be making them a snack if you want to join. Just let me know."

When she was gone and the door was closed, Nico put his cigarette out against his arm and turned to face Will. "What was that about?"

Will just stared at him. "We need to talk. I was going to when I got here but you just looked so beautiful and I was stressed and I needed a nap. I fell asleep. But we need to talk."

"Will, I-"

"Percy was crying at school today."

Nico's jaw tensed. "Who hurt him? I'll beat the shit out of them-"

"Come sit by me," Will ordered. "And close the window. You don't want anyone overhearing this."

Nico slammed the window shut and sat on the mattress beside him, his arms crossed. Now that Sally was gone he abandoned the blanket he had been covering with, letting it fall to the floor halfway through his walk over.

"He was crying because he thinks you hate him," Will explained. "Everyone said what they always said and stopped him from following you. Said you weren't friends. I was talking to him in the bathroom and he was crying because he thinks you hate him."

Nico shook his head. "No, no, _no._ I don't hate him. I... I don't hate him, Will. I...I've got to go find him. I can't believe I caused him to _cry_. Percy Jackson, _crying_. I haven't seen him cry since...well, since Gabe was still alive."

"You need to talk to him," Will said. "Explain."

"I can't explain. Will, I _can't_." Nico ran his fingers through his hair. "He can't know that I...that I..."

"That you love him," Will finished in a whisper.

Nico snapped his head up and stared at him, stared at him for some time before swallowing.

"Nico?" Will asked. "Are you breathing?"

"You know."

"I know."

"How...how do you...how..."

Will moved closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Breathe. It's okay. Just breathe. You love Percy Jackson."

Nico covered his face with the blankets, his body tense, looking like he was about to take the _flight_ instinct all the way.

"Nico, I figured it out...it's not that big of a deal. I still love you."

"Not that big of a deal?" Nico tore the blankets away and glared at him, a tear escaping his dark eyes. "Not that big of a deal? I love _Percy Jackson_! A straight boy! Your cousin! How can you be okay with that?!"

"Because you like me, too, right?"

"I love you, Will, but that's not the point. I _love_ him. I...it _hurts,_ Will. I _love_ him."

"But you _do_ love me."

Nico nodded. "Yeah...I do..."

"And you won't cheat on me."

"Never."

"Then I'm not going to leave you. I'm just going to try and help you get over him."

Nico turned away. "Will..that's impossible."

"But it's also impossible for you to get with him," Will whispered. "So you need to let it heal. You haven't even _tried_. Hell, he doesn't even _know_."

"He can't know I'm gay."

"I'm pretty sure he's figured that out, Nico," Will said. "He's not stupid."

Nico shook his head repeatedly. "No, no, no. He can't know. I... I've been so careful to make sure he never knows. I found out I was gay when I was ten, Will. I fell in love with Percy Jackson when I was ten. And I've been so careful..."

"He's not homophobic, Nico," Will said. "He accepts me. So why can't he know? What's the big deal?"

Nico put a hand to his chest and took in more sharp breaths. Will could just imagine how it felt to have your whole world just _crumble_ around you.

"Keep breathing," Will instructed. "It's just us. No one is listening."

"He knows I'm gay?"

Will nodded. "I really think so."

"Oh, god," Nico groaned. "I can't do this."

"Nico, he'll accept you," Will insisted. "He'll accept you. He doesn't have anything against gays."

"But my father does!"

That explained it all. Will knew Nico didn't have a good relationship with his father, thought it was probably pretty toxic when it came down to it. Hell, the man left his son to raise his daughter, take her to school, _feed_ her. If he really was as homophobic as Nico said, who knew what that knowledge could lead to.

"Okay," Will whispered. "I understand why you wouldn't want your father to find out. But how does telling Percy have to do with that?"

"He picks up on body language," Nico whimpered. The sound broke Will's heart. "That's why I didn't want _anyone_ to know. He'll find out just by watching people. He's smart as hell. And Percy...no offense to Percy but dad'll be able to tell."

Will pulled him onto the bed and held him close. "That's all I wanted to know. I just...I just wanted to know what was going on in your head. And now I know, and I can help you."

Nico wiped his eyes. "How? What can we even do? I can't stop loving him, Will. I can't. Trust me, I've tried."

"I know, but you can love him and move on with your life. But you have to accept it in a way your father won't realize."

"And how are we going to do that?" Nico asked.

"We're going to talk to Percy. Together."


	7. Chapter 7

Will sat behind Nico on that red motorcycle as they pulled into the school parking lot, cutting Percy's path to Jason's truck off. Percy was slumped over, still clearly upset from earlier, but it was obvious he still clearly intended to go with the friends that made him that way.

"Get on, Percy," Nico ordered, still saying his name _that_ way. "Before I change my mind."

Percy looked between them and then at the bike. "How?"

Nico looked over his shoulder at Will. "Scooch up. I'm sitting on your lap and you're driving."

Will blushed at the idea of it. Nico sitting on his lap in any way reminded his hormonal body of that day in the lake. "Is that safe?"

"Probably not. Just do it."

Will did as he was told and was soon in charge of a motorcycle for the first time in his life. The last thing he expected when he woke up that morning was to be smashed between Percy and Nico, the wind hitting their faces, his body warm and tingly wherever it hit Nico's. The sun showed through the trees in the perfect places. The forest floor was bumpy beneath the wheels.

"Where am I going?!" Will called over the noise. Branches breaking. Leaves crackling. Fall would be settling in eventually.

Nico's hands came to a rest on his. "Give me the controls."

And that brought about a site that both terrified him and excited him. Nico di Angelo, sitting on his lap cross-legged, controlling a motorcycle that crashed through the woods at dangerous speeds, not following a path neither beaten nor new, just riding through the trees and over anything that got in the way.

Nico parked them in an area that looked familiar but different, or maybe that's how you'd always view the woods when it came down to it. Percy got off the motorcycle first, then Nico, and finally Will when his lap was free. He was cold without Nico's body pressed against his.

"Where are we?" Percy asked. "What are we even doing out here?"

"Talking." Nico turned to face him. "We have a walk, but once we get there, I want to talk to you. It'll be private there. And I... Until we get there, I just want you to know that I don't hate you."

"Are you just saying that because they told you what happened?" Percy asked.

Nico shook his head. "I'm...I'm going to explain, but we got a walk first."

Will pocketed the motorcycle's keys before going to Nico's side. He gripped that pale hand in his, felt too much relief when Nico gripped his hand back. 

Percy didn't look surprised at the display between them. He acted like it was normal, and all assumptions that Percy knew about them were strengthened as they started their walk through the woods.

They eventually came upon that clearing Nico had made him promise to never tell anyone about. Percy's eyes widened at the sight of the nature, of the rawness before them, and Will was still in awe as well despite having seen it before. Besides Nico, it was probably the most beautiful thing he had ever or would ever see.

Nico sat on the edge again, too close to it for Will's liking, his feet dangling over and his eyes on the horizon. His hands were bloody again from picking at his nails.

"Percy, we have to talk to you."

"Can we away from the edge?" Percy asked. "You can still see it all back here."

Will sat beside the treeline and held a hand out to Nico. "He's right, come over here. We should be facing each other, anyways."

Nico rolled his eyes but crawled over to them, sitting beside Will. Percy sat across from them, his green eyes worried and his face as sad as it was earlier in the day.

"So, you don't hate me?" he asked.

Nico shook his head. "Percy, I could never hate you. I... God damn it, is this hard to say."

Percy looked to Will. "What? What is it?"

Will looked between them. "Honestly, I shouldn't even be here. This is between you two. But I'm here because I care about each of you and I want to make sure everything turns out alright. Nico, you just have to tell him. Remember how you felt when I told you he was crying in the bathroom."

Percy frowned. "Hey,"

Nico held his hand up. The blood sparkled in the sunlight in too romantic of a way for _blood_. "Okay, okay. Both of you be quiet so I can speak."

Will and Percy did as they were told and shut up. Will laid a hand on Nico's thigh.

"Percy, I..." Nico swallowed. "Know I wasn't going to ever tell you this. _Ever_. But hearing that you thought I hated you really got me. I...I can't stand to think that I cause you pain. Because I...Because I..."

Nico gripped onto Will's hand like a lifeline. His voice grew quiet.

"I can't say it," he whispered. "I can't say it."

The forest was silent around them. Will wanted to speak up, tell him it would all be okay, wanted to tell Percy himself, but he knew to go any farther in what he had already done would be going against Nico in the rawest form he could imagine.

So he sat in silence. And it was because of silence that the year ended as it did.

"I'm sorry that I brought you here," Nico continued on. "I really thought I was going to be able to tell you, Percy. But I can't. But I can _promise_ you that I don't hate you, okay? You're my friend."

Percy smiled. "Friends?"

Nico nodded. "Friends."

"Then I don't need to know the rest," Percy said. "As long as you promise to tell me if I do something wrong. You will, won't you?"

Nico nodded again. "But you'll never be able to do something wrong to me."

Will looked away. There was something in Nico's eyes when he faced Percy and said that that hurt worse than anything Will had experienced before.

Percy held a hand out to Nico, gave him a smile that Will knew made Nico's body tingle. Nico shook that hand, got blood on Percy's fingers in a way that made Will jealous. He only ever got blood on _Will's_ fingers.

Then he realized he was being jealous about blood.

* * *

They took Percy home but the ride wasn't nearly as pleasant as the way to the cliff. Will couldn't meet Nico's eyes, he couldn't meet Percy's, he couldn't be in the presence of both of them without that jealousy bubbling in the pit of his stomach. And guilt. So much guilt.

The seasons were changing, it was in the air. But the heat still bore down on his shoulders and caused him to fall asleep that night as naked as the day he was born, Nico by his side.

And when they were alone, everything was fine. That night, he couldn't be more peaceful with Nico as close as he could be. But thinking about his love for Percy and their newfound "friendship" always brought the jealousy back.

He wasn't supposed to be jealous. He was supposed to be loving, caring, _understanding_. But Nico always looked at Percy in a way that Will could only hope to be looked at in.

So he laid there that night, having woken from nightmares of Nico and Percy, brushing Nico's hair with his fingers and thanking God that he was the one holding him, not Percy. That he was the one dating him, laying with him, staying close to him. Because he loved Nico in a way he never could have imagined. A love so strong that if it were unrequited, if he was in Nico's position with his love for Percy, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to continue on living.

It seemed like hours before Nico woke. It was still dark out, the trees covering any bits of light from an upcoming sunrise, birds chirping to each other. That pale skin stretched over bones as Nico repositioned. His hair left Will's hand.

"I need a cigarette," Nico whispered as he detached himself from Will and crawled to the open window. "Can't sleep a whole night without one."

"I know." Will sat up and watched the lighter flicker to life, illuminating Nico's pale face. "You're addicted. _Really_ addicted."

Nico shrugged, the illumination being replaced with the burning cigarette. His lighter was tossed to the floor.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Will asked. "You brought him all the way out there to tell him. Why didn't you?"

"I couldn't."

"But you had thought you'd be able to?" Will asked. "You had to have brought him out there for a reason, Nico."

Nico rested the cigarette on the window frame before turning to Will. "Because you were talking and when you talk you make it seem like everything's okay. And I believed you. I thought I'd tell him and everything would be okay and we'd all move on. But sitting there, looking at him... I knew that the moment I said it, he'd never treat me the same again. _You'd_ never treat me the same again. You're already getting jealous, I can tell."

"Did you expect me not to be jealous that you love someone else? That you love him enough that even his name you say different? That you can't even fucking look at him without melting? I can tell, Nico. Because you feel about him how I feel about you. And yeah, that makes me jealous. Because I knew if you had a chance, you'd leave me for him in a heartbeat."

Nico shook his head. "No, I wouldn't."

"Don't lie."

"I'm not."

"Nico..."

"Will, I'm not lying," Nico snapped. "Stop being so hard on yourself. I love you, remember? I love you and I love being with you. You...you're the only thing I have left in Frostford besides Hazel. So...so please don't be jealous and don't worry. I'd never leave you for him. Or anyone else."

Will gave Nico a soft smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"It's weird," Will thought aloud. "We haven't known each other for long and I feel like I've loved you for a lifetime." He laid back on the bed and felt some relief kick in at Nico's words. "Maybe we were meant to be."

"I don't believe in that stuff," Nico dismissed.

"I know, but you can't believe in everything that truly exists. There's too much."

Nico rolled his eyes and took another drag of his cigarette like Will expected him to do.

"Are we okay, Nico?" Will asked. "We're okay, right?"

"You mean our relationship?"

A nod.

"Yeah, we're okay."

"Is your love for me different than your love for Percy?"

Another nod.

"How so?"

Nico let the cigarette hang from his mouth as he thought. "I love you in a relationship way. In a 'we could be boyfriends forever' way. The sex, the snuggling, just talking to you. Then Percy..."

He took the cigarette out and waved it. "Percy's different. He's _love_. Not in a boyfriend way. Not in...not in a way we're together. I wouldn't kiss or sleep with him. It's just..." His voice turned to a mumble. "Like soulmates."

"I thought you didn't believe in that stuff."

"Yeah, well, I don't know how else to describe it. Like the only way I can be happy with him is if it was just me and him, alone, by ourselves for eternity. And I don't fucking know why."

(Will saw his pain without feeling jealousy. He saw his pain and cursed the universe for giving it to him)

"We're going to make you happy," Will decided. "We're going to live like you were dying and we're going to make you happy."

"Like I was going to be dead by senior year?"

"Yeah, like you were going to be dead by senior year."


	8. Chapter 8

From that day forward, Percy's personality and energy took a turn for the better. Everyone noticed, from Percy's parents to their friend group. Annabeth Chase pulled Will aside days later, tears in her gray eyes, smile wide and real.

"Thank you. Thank you for helping him."

She hugged him, and while hugging back, he couldn't help but feel that she'd legally be apart of his family someday. She cared about Percy in that way.

Later that same day Jason gave him a hug, whispered in his ear "good job", patted him on the back and looked back to a laughing Percy.

It was good. It felt so good to see his cousin happy. Actually happy, not just that front he had up when Will first arrived in Frostford.

But he was still working on the others. Nico, Leo, they were still hurting.

"You can't save everyone," his mother would have said. "Don't burn yourself up to give them light."

But they had been in the dark too long and he didn't mind burning if it meant warming them for even a little bit.

Especially Nico. He'd do _anything_ for Nico.

And after that day he promised to help him live, to help him love life again, his grades slipped and school was just a place to exist with Nico by his side.

Because that building would always be there, Nico wouldn't.

And that's how he found himself sitting by Nico next to the lake, their feet in the water, Percy swimming nearby and a pile of homework unattended at home.

Fall was still coming and the heat was still boiling.

"How are you feeling?" Will asked, his head on Nico's shoulder and his lips so desperately wanting to kiss that neck.

Nico glanced down at him and then at his lips before smirking as if he knew exactly what Will was thinking. "Hot. You?"

"Sweating."

Percy splashed them before pulling himself up from the lake. "Don't go making out by the lake. Horrible area."

Nico's face and ears burned red while Will couldn't stop the retort that came from his own mouth. "Been there, done that."

"Will!" Nico hissed.

Percy laughed, and all the anger drained from Nico's face.

"How far?" Percy teased. "I swear, if you two were giving each other-"

"Percy!" Nico cut in.

"We weren't, we weren't," Will promised. "But we did have-"

" _Will_!"

Percy's eyes bulged and his voice lowered to a whisper. "You two...seriously?! My little cousin, not a virgin?" He grinned before wincing. "In a _lake_? What, you have a pain kink-"

" _Percy Jackson-"_

"Is Nico even clean?"

Nico grabbed a rock from below the water and threw it at Percy's chest. " _Stop_!"

Percy let out a gasp of air before holding his chest. "Dude!"

Will grabbed Nico's hand and gave it a squeeze, his eyes on that red face, looking for any signs of real anger. But all he saw was normal embarrassment.

And that love for Percy. If it had been anyone else that said that shit, they'd be dead. But it had been Percy and he still hadn't said the word "gay" and Nico was in love with that boy.

But the minute anyone actually said they were gay or together, that peace in Nico would slip. Will could see it tottering on the edge.

He looked over and saw that the others hadn't been able to hear. The closest was Annabeth, but she was busy doing her homework while sunbathing. Then there was Piper and Leo further down the lake, water guns pointed at each other while standing on two large rocks. Leo had some kind of plant stuck in his hair while Piper had rocks as ammo piled at her feet.

"When it finally gets colder, we'll have to find someplace else to hang out," he thought out loud.

Percy took the change of subject as smoothly as Nico needed. "We have the bunker. That's usually where we spend the winter."

Nico's cheeks were slowly becoming their normal color. He gripped Will's hand back. "Or we can still swim if the lake isn't frozen yet."

Percy grinned and Will facepalmed.

"Do you _want_ hypothermia?" Will asked. "Because that's what's going to happen. And there's no real hospital around here to take you. It's like, what, at least a whole city over?"

"There's the hospital in town," Nico argued.

"That's not a hospital, that's a clinic," Will corrected. "It can only hold like five patients."

"Five patients are more than it ever gets."

" _That doesn't make it a hospital."_

"Who cares?" Percy laid on his back in the shallow water. "I more care about the fact that I'm _starving_."

Will felt his own stomach growl at the mention of food. "Your mom's probably making dinner soon. I think she said it's pot roast tonight."

"Oh hell yeah." Percy pulled himself up and rose to his feet. "Mom made pot roast, I'll see you all tomorrow!"

Will looked to Nico as Percy moved to say goodbye to Annabeth. "Are you going to eat with us?"

Nico played with Will's fingers, his own blood having stained them as it did his own. "I have to feed Hazel first. I can meet you there."

Will nodded in acceptance. Hazel needed to eat, too, no matter how bad he wanted Nico to come with him then.

"Would you take care of her if something happened to me?" Nico asked. "If I got hurt somehow, like I crashed my bike or something."

Will ran a hand through Nico's hair. "Why's your mind in that dark place?"

Nico shrugged and got the same look he always had when he thought about his house, his dad. "Just promise me you would."

"I would, I promise," Will answered immediately. "But you're going to be fine." He paused, spoke softer. "You shouldn't be this scared to go home."

Nico ignored the comment like he did every time and rose to his feet, that smiley-face keychain hanging from his pocket and his hairpin right in place. "I'll meet you at your place, okay?"

Will nodded. "I'll see you there, Nico. Stay safe."

And then Nico was gone, heading towards his bike. He could hear Leo yelling that a fish was stuck in his water gun, and Percy was kissing Annabeth goodbye, and everyone was happy besides the boy getting on his motorcycle.

* * *

Will sat beside Percy at the dinner table, drinking from a glass of water, watching Sally put food on plates, and worrying about Nico. What was the worst his father had done to him? Was the worst only to come?

Percy wasn't as worried as Will was. Maybe he didn't know the half of what Will did.

"Mom, you'll never believe it," Percy said. "Will lost his virginity to Nico."

"Percy!" Will covered his cousin's mouth. "Don't tell people that!"

"Don't tell people that at the _dinner table_ ," Sally corrected. "But I already knew, dear, or I figured it out. Now drop that topic while your siblings are in the room."

"Nico doesn't want anyone to know," Will insisted. "He...he's scared of people knowing he's gay. Please, none of you say anything to anyone else."

"Is that why I'm not allowed to say you two are together?" Percy asked. "Cause everyone knows."

Will nodded. "I...I think it's to do with his dad. He doesn't want him to find out so he's afraid of anyone saying the words."

Sally and Poseidon exchanged dark looks that didn't go unnoticed by the two teenagers.

"What?" Percy asked.

Sally leaned over to help Tyson cut his meat with a soft whisper of "little bites" while Poseidon had a sudden fixation with his plate.

"Mom."

"After the kids go to bed," she finally relented. "We'll talk after they're asleep."

Will and Percy shared a look but let the topic go. No matter what, it was best to hold off. Those little kids didn't need to hear anything bad.

His plate had red roses hand-painted on the front while his fork was a slight crimson. He wondered who in Sally's family the china had come from, how old it was, if it would still be there after he and Nico and Percy were all dead and gone. Who would live in that small house in the woods after them? How long after their deaths would it be abandoned, torn down, taken over by the woods again?

Did normal people even think about that?

Percy was on his expected second out of fourth helping, and Will had still been finishing his first when the front door opened. Will had to take a second to remind himself that _this was normal_ , that people didn't really lock their doors here unless they were going to bed. And then after that second Nico di Angelo came strolling into the room, braided hair redone, hairpin in and eyes dark. His right eye was swollen shut. A little blood dripped from his lip.

"Nico, are you okay?" Will stood up and dropped that red fork, the prongs picking up dirt and whatever else was on that wooden floor. Sally also stood up, her eyes sad, no shock on her face.

"I'm fine..." Nico looked at Sally. "Mind if I have a plate?"

"It's already made." Sally gestured for him to pull up a chair before grabbing a plate off the counter. "Here. What do you want to drink?"

Nico pulled the chair beside Will and sat with his plate. "I can just share Will's, it's fine. Thank you, Miss Sally."

Will moved his glass of water where Nico could reach before wiping the blood off his chin. "What happened?"

Nico stared at the blood now on Will's finger before looking at his plate. "Nothing."

"You're bleeding from nothing?"

A nod.

"What about your black eye? Is that also from nothing?"

Nico nodded again.

Will wrapped his arm around Nico's waist but didn't push the topic further. Not when Nico was safe in his arms. "Eat up."

Nico rolled his eyes but began to eat. Percy was staring over with a concerned look, something that said "I'll kill whoever hurt you", and it made Will wonder who killed the one that hurt Percy.

There was a murderer in Frostford, and he only just realized because he thought about murdering anyone that hurt Nico.


	9. Chapter 9

Will pulled Nico into the living room while Sally put the kids to bed and Poseidon made coffee. Food was eaten and put away, the table was cleared off, Nico was still bleeding. Will wiped that swollen lip again and felt more anger fill his stomach.

"Don't lie," he ordered. "Remember what we agreed on? No lying."

"I won't lie."

"Your father did this to you?" he asked. "That bitch ass did this to you?"

Nico's eyes widened, his lips twitching and his arms crossing. "William Solace. Cursing."

"Protecting my boyfriend," Will corrected.

"No, no," Nico shook his head. "You aren't getting yourself hurt. You're not doing anything to him."

"So it _was_ your father-"

"Of course it was my father! He's the one damn person in this city that hates my guts! He hates all his children except for Bianca! Why do you think I fucking raise Hazel?"

Will's heart dropped into his stomach and melted in that pool of anger. "I'm killing him."

"No, you're not."

"You can't stop me."

"Try me."

"Nico, why are you defending him?" Will asked. "Look what he's done to you! To Hazel! He should be in jail, in prison, away from you and away from that little girl!"

"He doesn't hurt Hazel, Will!" Nico yelled. "He'd never lay a finger on her! He only hurts me!"

" _Why_?" Will stressed. "Why does he hate you so much?"

"I killed my mother!"

He remembered that big, empty house, that woman's portrait, the writing beneath it. How cold the whole place was.

"What do you mean, you killed your mother? You were tiny when she died."

"She died saving me," Nico choked. "I killed her."

"Nico-"

"That man wanted _me._ He wanted to kidnap _me._ She...she tried to save me, why wouldn't she? She was my mother. But she tried to save me and she got killed for it. That's _my_ fault, Will. That's _my fault_. I got her killed and my father will never forget it."

" _What_ man?" Will asked. "What happened? Fuck, this is supposed to be a _small town_. No...no kidnappings, no murders."

Nico gave him a look that didn't help his case. "All places have bad people, Will. They're everywhere."

"Don't change the subject."

"I'm not changing the subject, I'm just saying-"

"Is arguing in the living room the smartest idea?" Percy asked as he entered the room, three mugs of coffee balanced in his hands. His dark hair was swept aside and messy, wind-blown still from the ride home, and his green eyes still longed for the lake. Will was sure that boy would be happy to live in that green water.

Percy had them each take a cup before he collapsed on the couch, his feet propping themselves up on the table and his hair getting in his face. "I know I don't have anything to do with...you two, whatever you have going on, but I know enough to say arguing isn't going to help either of you."

Nico couldn't look in those green eyes and that made the situation all the more worse for Will. 

"Percy, all you do is talk about shit that doesn't matter," Nico whispered. "Why are you trying to talk about this?"

"Because your dad gave you a black eye," Percy defended. "And Will's done so much for me and he's fucked up over this and _your dad gave you a black eye_."

Nico put his head in his hands, his voice coming out desperate and _aching_. "Percy, I don't want you in this conversation."

Percy's face fell. "Right. Um..." He stood up, scratched the back of his head, was no doubt remembering all the ones who claimed he'd never be friends with Nico. "I...I'll be going to bed, then."

"I'll come talk to you later, okay?" Will said in hopes to console but in no way going against Nico's wishes. 

Percy nodded in a way that didn't give away his thoughts and disappeared up that back wooden staircase. Will turned to Nico, saw him sipping that coffee, wanted to hug him but wanting to kill the man that touched him.

"Want to go up to my room?" Will asked. "We can talk up there."

Nico nodded. "I need a smoke."

They found themselves in that small room Will once named the Burrow, and just like that Harry Potter series, he wasn't so sure if he liked it anymore. Not when he watched Nico smoke and ruin his lungs. Not when he fought there with the love of his life.

The love of his life. Nico really was the love of his life. And he didn't know if he could ever have a life without him.

"So...so this guy...wanted to kidnap you...and your mom got killed saving you?" Will summed up. "Did I get that right?"

Nico stared into the dark night, kept one leg hanging out that window and the other hanging into the room. "Yeah."

"And your father claims you killed her."

"Because I did."

"No, no you didn't," Will argued. "You didn't kill her. Your father's been feeding that to you all your life and that's why you believe it, but it's not true. And he...he..." Will clenched his fists. "He's a bastard! You're supposed to be happy! I'm trying to make you happy! And he's so hurt by his wife's death that he takes it out on you. But it was never your fault. It was never your fault, Nico."

Nico took a long drag of that cigarette instead of answering. Will could just picture his blackened lungs.

"Are you even listening to me?" Will asked.

"Of course I'm listening to you, Will," Nico whispered. "I'm just sick of arguing. I get you don't want a murderer as a boyfriend and I get that you wanted your life to be easier, but I can't erase the past. So I don't know what you want me to say."

Will felt hatred. True, heart-wrenching, full-body _hatred_. No one deserved to be raised like Nico was. Nobody deserved to think they were a murderer when they weren't.

"Nico, I'm going to use some hypothetical stuff. Will you listen for a minute?" Will asked.

Nico nodded but kept his eyes on the stars. "Yeah, go ahead."

"Let's say we got married and adopted a baby," Will started. "A little boy. And we both treated him like our own-"

"What does this have to do with anything?" Nico asked, his cheeks darkening in the dark room.

Will liked imagining being married to Nico. He liked the picture of them adopting. But why he was talking about it killed that mood.

"Just listen and you'll see," Will ordered. "Say we had a baby that we loved. Like, we treated him like he was our own, like I had birthed him or something. Say you were at work and I was home alone with him-"

"What would we name him?" Nico whispered.

Will blinked. "Well...what would you name him?"

Nico tapped his cigarette against his leg. "Willy."

"....You would name our son after me?"

Nico nodded. "Willy's cute for a baby. Don't you think?"

Some of that anger was draining. Nico was calming him without even meaning to.

Getting married, adopting... A life was Nico was so close and so far. He could see it, could reach for it, but something told him it would forever be right past his fingertips. And that it was his fault. He just couldn't see why yet.

"It's really cute," Will agreed. "But...okay, so..." He took a deep breath. "Say I was home alone with Willy while you were at work. Some guy broke in and tried to take Willy. He wanted to sell him on the black market or something, and he thought our family would be an easy target. I did my best to protect Will but I got hurt enough to later die. Who would you blame in that situation for me dying?"

Nico scrunched his eyes shut. "Please, I don't want to imagine you dead."

"Nico, who would you blame?" Will asked. "Would you blame little Willy?"

"Why would I blame-"

"Then why would your father blame you?"

Nico clenched his fists, extinguishing the cigarette and crushing it apart. His scabs were bleeding and now a burn scarred those already scarred hands. Blood dripped from his hangnails. Ash coated his fingertips.

His hands were beautiful like blood is in snow. Poetically, horribly beautiful.

When he spoke, his voice was the same. Full of pain, full of anguish, ready to give up but looking for hope.

"Will, he's my _father,_ " Nico whimpered. "He's my father. If he told me... I was to blame. She was saving _me_. If I hadn't been alive, she never would have gotten killed. And say all you want about Willy but it isn't the same."

"Why not?" Will demanded. "Why isn't it the same?"

"I...I..." Nico's face was too pained for Will to look straight at it. He wanted to hug him, wanted to comfort him, but knew he needed to understand what was right and what was wrong when it came to the situation of his mother. He couldn't go on thinking he killed his mother.

" _It wasn't your fault_ ," Will drilled in. " _It wasn't your fault_. Your father was taking his anger out on you. But you didn't kill your mother."

Nico dug his knees into his face but didn't disagree.

"Say it," Will commanded. "Say it. You didn't kill your mother."

"Will..."

" _Nico."_

"I...I..." Nico hiccupped. "I didn't kill my mother."

Will rushed forward and pulled Nico into a hug, both of them landing on the wooden floor. He held him close, felt him crying into his chest, cursed the world and cursed Nico's father for hurting him. He knew it wasn't over, that Nico's mind wasn't changed just like that, but saying those words had done something to him. There was change. Like an addict saying their problem to the mirror, or in front of their future AA group. 

"Your father took his grief and anger out on you," Will whispered. "But you were not to blame. You were just a little boy. You never did anything wrong, you've always done what you could. I love you. Your friends love you. Never let your father tell you otherwise."

Nico heard, but Will could only hope that he accepted the words.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second to last chapter
> 
> Im so sorry

Nico fell asleep in an exhausted haze after another smoke and a good cry. Will detached himself from the mess of sweaty limbs and tiptoed to his cousin's room, finding Percy awake and eating a plate of leftovers from dinner. As soon as he caught sight of Will's blond hair he gestured for him to come in, not putting the plate aside but halting his quick intake of the food.

Will closed the door behind him, wincing at the small squeak it made before sitting on the end of Percy's bed. The room was just as blue as it was the last time he was in there, but this time with new rocks from the lake sitting on his dresser.

"He asleep?" Percy asked.

Will nodded. "I...I can't tell his secrets so I can't tell you much, but I...we need to make him happy. We need to make him as happy as we can. Like...like I know you feel weird around him cause he's keeping that secret from you, but I promise he doesn't hate you or anything like that. He's just sad and in need of love."

Percy scratched his chin with his fork. "He should live in your room, not go back home."

"But Hazel..."

Percy deflated. "Yeah, you're right. He can't leave her there alone."

Will pulled his legs up to his chest, couldn't close his eyes or blink for too long without seeing Nico and those tears in his bruised eyes. The pain he wanted to rip from that small body. The pain he would take on if it meant Nico didn't have to feel it.

"We were gonna have a birthday party for him at the bunker," Percy thought aloud. "We could get all his favorite things."

"He doesn't have a lot of them."

"I know, but you can be there, and cigarettes, and...and Leo can upgrade his motorcycle," Percy said. "And...uh...anything else he likes?"

Will thought about Nico, how he had barely ever seen him without any traces of sadness in his eyes.

"He hates Frostford. If we could get him out of Frostford..."

"I wish we could," Percy agreed. "But we can't. It's so much gas and money and then hotels and food..."

"Yeah, it's not going to happen." Will picked at his pajama pants. "But I could go with him on his motorcycle...go camping somewhere far out... You'd take care of Hazel if I did?"

Percy nodded. "She can spend the night here."

Will laid back and stared at the ceiling. Nico's dark eyes and bruises haunted his mind. "Okay...we'll do that. Party at the bunker, me taking him camping after. Has he ever been camping?"

Percy shrugged, but Will wasn't worried. He had already stayed the night with Nico out on that cliff.

* * *

Saturday came quicker than Will expected, but maybe that was what happened when you let your anxiety eat you alive. He sat behind Nico on that motorcycle, watched the red leaves fall around them.

Nico's skin was always ice cold, but Will liked being against him. His fingers were stained with blood, but Will still held his hands.

The Bunker was decorated in a shitty way, but it was decorated. Red streamers hung from the couch and refrigerator, and a nasty looking cake sat on the counter. But there was also boxes of pizza, and Nico's eyes widened when everyone wished him a happy birthday. 

"Don't be so shocked," Piper told him. "We do this every year."

Will saw the shock in his eyes, but also the relief. He remembered what Nico had said to him all that time ago. How he was scared to know if his friends really cared about him or not.

He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to say I told you so, or assure him that this was all real. Because Nico was Nico, and his brain was as stubborn as it was sad.

So he settled on "let's get some pizza".

* * *

The party felt like a funeral lunch-in. There was food, there were some jokes and laughter, they sat together and talked. But a sadness Will couldn't place sat over all of them, like they were mourning someone, like they had been to a funeral previously in the day.

Something in him swore Nico was the source. But the birthday boy had his fake smile on and his bruises didn't seem to hurt.

Lies. Another instinct told him it was lies.

"The weather's changing," Piper announced an hour in. "Tomorrow's gonna be in the forties, and it's just going to go down from there."

Fall. Winter. The dark side of the year was coming, and they had known for awhile, but nobody was prepared.

"Good thing we're camping tonight, then," Will whispered in Nico's ear. "You think we'll stay warm enough?"

Nico gripped his hand and pulled it close. "Body heat can do wonders."

Will laughed, and suddenly the air was lighter, but something dark still loomed over them.

"Who's going to take care of Hazel?" Nico suddenly asked. "She's the only reason I-... I'm the only one she has-"

"Percy's mom's taking her for the night," Will answered. "You really think I'd leave her in that place alone? Trust me, I've got her."

"She'll be okay with out me...she's got other people," Nico breathed. "Good."

That was the best he ever saw Nico. So calm, relaxed, carefree. But something about it was wrong, off, like the uncanny valley in psychology. It made Will sick to his stomach, made every instinct in him scream that something was wrong.

But Nico was happy, relaxed, and he'd give anything for that, so he let it go.

But instincts were there for a reason. They kept people alive.

* * *

That night was one he'd remember forever. A bittersweet memory. One of the night he had the time of his life. Felt most alive. And the last he ever felt that happy.

The sunset was streaks of red and their tent was the same color. Once the sun died and the stars came out, they drank and pointed out constellations and just _forgot_ for a couple hours, stopped thinking, stepped away from the world and just lived side-by-side.

Nico was different than Will had ever seen. He was happy, so happy, and together they had the best moments of their lives.

Unfortunately, it was the best. They never peaked again. But everything had to end. Relationships came and went. People lived and died. But that night, they felt immortal. Or at least Will did, because the next morning, well...

The next morning started with the sun bleeding into the sky and ended in the same way, but it started with a life it didn't end with.


	11. Chapter 11

Will knew something was wrong the moment he woke up. Even before he realized Nico wasn't in his arms.

The last thing he remembered was watching Nico kiss his head in a haze of sleep, seeing his smile, falling back asleep again and not waking up until now.

Now. The sun shining through the crack in the tent. His back sore from sleeping on the ground and his body cold from sleeping by himself.

Dread pooled in his stomach and his brain screamed at him, told him he should have seen it coming, but he didn't know what 'it' was and he was too tired to do much but look around the tent for his boyfriend, then weakly call for him to come back.

But he didn't. And that woke Will up.

The first thing he noticed when he opened the tent was how red the sky was. It was always beautiful from the cliff, but today was different. The sun was bleeding at it time it shouldn't. There were no clouds but it drizzled anyways.

It should have made a rainbow, but there was none in sight.

The morning smelled like all mornings in nature do, smelled of dew and grass and the nearby trees. The dirt beneath his fingers smelled like life. 

Where did you go when you died? Did you become life in nature, or did you simply cease to exist? What afterlife was right, if there was any at all?

He didn't wonder until that morning. He didn't think about a loved one as just a soul until it was presented to him.

Because the third thing he noticed was Nico's boots sitting at the edge of the cliff and no Nico in them. Will crawled to them like a man dying in the desert, found Nico's phone and keys and hairpin as if it was any other time in the lake, like they were just going swimming and everything was fine and they were both alive.

But this wasn't the lake. Nico was nowhere to be seen. And the moment Will saw that note, he sprinted to the bottom of that cliff.

He cradled a bloody body in his arms like he once held bloody hands in his own.

They didn't need an ambulance. They didn't need a life-flight. He was too far gone and an ambulance was towns away.

Leo screamed and broke the red motorcycle, the red paint stripping away.

Percy locked himself in his room and didn't eat for two days.

Hazel moved in with her friend Frank and his mom and never saw her father again.

Will refused to lay in a bed Nico was once in and refused to sit on the cliff where he died. He laid on the couch in the Bunker, still decorated from Nico's birthday, reading the note and deciding he was at fault.

He should have seen it coming.

He should have read the signs.

He should have paid attention.

He should have saved his life.

* * *

_*large letters, at the very top* for Will's eyes only. Will, you can share this if you want_

_*beneath it, in normal writing* If you're reading this, the fall was tall enough. I hope it is. I think it is._

_Death has been the only dream I ever had. I'd never make it out of Frostford any other way. And getting out of Frostford was the only way to escape dad and Percy everything else wrong in this life._

_I want another chance. Just not in this life. I want another._

_You told me to follow my dreams, Will, that day on the cliff. I told you that'd be the spot I'd die and that I only had one dream and you told me to follow it. I had been waiting for a sign, and you gave it to me._

_I just couldn't leave Hazel. But you said you and Percy could take care of her, and that was the moment I decided I'd do it. After one last night with you. I was selfish, I strung you along, and I'm sorry. I know you love me and I'm sorry. You made me feel better and you were great and you were all that I had._

_But I love Percy. God, I_ love _him. It hurts and it kills and it's too strong to ignore. I fell in love with Percy Jackson and that was the moment I knew I'd take my life._

_It wasn't just a crush. It wasn't just a fool's love. I knew that the day I saw him in the hospital. The day I killed Gabe for him._

_So take care of him, please. And take care of yourself. And if it's ever possible, please forgive me._

_Tell Hazel I'm sorry. Tell Sally and Leo and Annabeth and all the others. Tell them I'm sorry, but I made my mind up years ago. This was the only way._

_*runny ink from tears* I just want another life. I want to stop loving. I want another life._

_I'm sorry._

_I'm so sorry._

_Please forgive me._

The past haunted him. All the signs he should have seen finally became clear.

_"You guys are going to kill yourselves," Jason warned. "And now you're taking Will down with you."_

_Nico smirked. "Better to die young than get old in this hellhole."_

_"It makes you feel alive, doesn't it?" Nico asked. "Isn't that feeling of life so much better than what life actually is?"_

_"Don't assume," Nico said. "Just ask. Figure out the right answers. Because my life's going to be too short for assuming and shit."_

_Will sat beside him on the ground and began to take off his own shoes. "Your life isn't going to be short. You're healthy."_

_Nico didn't answer. Maybe Will should have questioned that._

_Nico stared down at the water. "I don't want to find out who really cares about me or not."_

" _Smoking can kill you."_

_"I won't last long enough for that."_

_"I can't breathe," Nico whispered. His eyes were towards the sky, his hair floating in the water, pain evidence on his face. But Will saw something else. Some kind of hope._

_He didn't say anything because there was nothing he could do. Not when Nico finally had some hope in those eyes. He couldn't risk him losing it._

_"You need to invest in a helmet," Will whispered in his ear. A faint blush covered Nico's neck._

_"Or what?" he asked. "If I bash my brains against the road, then I bash my brains against the road. No biggie."_

_"When I die, it'll be here. This is my favorite place."_

_Will sat beside him. "Is this place what gives you hope?"_

_Nico nodded._

_Will looked out at the sky and breathed in the fresh air he never would have experienced back in the city. "Never lose that hope, Nico. Do what your dreams are. Follow that hope."_

_Nico looked over at him. "You don't even know what it is."_

_"Hope is hope."_

_Nico hummed and looked at the view. "You know, maybe you were right."_

_"About?"_

_"Seeing God. You told me to follow that hope. I was looking for a sign that I was right. And last night, in the lake…"_

_Will elbowed him. "You look good happy. So, what's that hope? Getting out of Frostford?"_

_"Nobody gets out of Frostford alive."_

_"I love you, Will, but that's not the point. I_ love _him. I...it hurts, Will. I_ love _him."_

_He took the cigarette out and waved it. "Percy's different. He's love. Not in a boyfriend way. Not in...not in a way we're together. I wouldn't kiss or sleep with him. It's just..." His voice turned to a mumble. "Like soulmates."_

_"I thought you didn't believe in that stuff."_

_"Yeah, well, I don't know how else to describe it. Like the only way I can be happy with him is if it was just me and him, alone, by ourselves for eternity. And I don't fucking know why."_

" _Like I was going to be dead by senior year?"_

_"Would you take care of her if something happened to me?" Nico asked._

He hadn't known Nico for long but thought he knew all about him. But only after he was dead did he really find out all the small things.

The hairpin had been Bianca's, had been a gift from Zoe. His favorite food had been Sally's pot roast and McDonald's, and he had told Hazel he really liked the braids she did in his hair. He had been failing his junior year, but the one class he excelled in was science.

His teacher claimed he could have been a great biologist. Maybe it could have gotten him out of Frostford. Maybe he and Will could have escaped together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry  
> But this was all for a reason
> 
> I lost a friend to suicide before he even reached high school and that shit hurts. Only realizing somethings wrong when its too late, when u get a text saying he's dead. Then u finally see all the signs u should have noticed and ur so guilty because u could have done something, you could have saved a life, and i want to save as many people from that as possible.
> 
> Notice the signs. Pay attention. Talk. If ur feeling suicidal, talk. Talk to me, to a teacher, a friend. All my social media is in my bio, just shoot me a message. And if u think ur friend is suicidal, talk to them. It might be uncomfortable but if it saves their life, it's worth it.
> 
> The nation suicide prevention line is 800-273-8255. Call. If ur feeling suicidal, they can help. If u know someone who is suicidal, call. They're trained and they know how to help
> 
> Just pay attention and take care of yourselves and take care of each other


End file.
